


My Universe Will Never Be The Same

by agentsimmons



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Grocery Store, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Regency, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Anachronistic, Androids, Angst, Astronauts, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Canon Divergence - Avengers (2012), Canon Divergence - Iron Man 2, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Crack, Domestic, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, Drabble Collection, Drunken Shenanigans, Established Relationship, Fake Science, Fluff, Getting Together, Grocery Shopping, Grocery Store, House Hunting, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, Light Angst, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Parent Bruce Banner, Parent Tony Stark, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Pre-Relationship, Regency, Regency Romance, Robot Feels, Robot/Human Relationships, Robots, Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, Science Husbands, Team as Family, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel, Tony Stark Does What He Wants
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-04-09 03:01:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 77,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4331262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentsimmons/pseuds/agentsimmons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of unrelated, varying lengths of drabbles/vignettes/oneshots based on prompts borrowed from LJ Comm: 1Sentence.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <b>NEWEST STORY: Astronaut/Space AU snippet</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings for anything potentially triggering will be added in notes. Includes AUs, pre-slash, established, fluff, angst, etc.
> 
> Title taken from The Wanted's _Glad You Came_ since it (like many songs) reminds me of these two.
> 
> CHAPTER INDEX/SUMMARIES:  
> 1\. Comfort - Short and light h/c with Bruce worrying about Tony; pre-slash (G)  
> 2\. Kiss - Very short, first kiss. (G)  
> 3\. Soft - Tony has to shave his singed facial hair. (G)  
> 4\. Pain - Tony rescues Bruce from torture by General Ross. Angsty. (T)  
> 5\. Potatoes - Angsty conversation about Bruce almost killing his classmates in high school. (T)  
> 6\. Rain - Crackish, fluffy conversation between the two while they watch Singin' In The Rain. (T)  
> 7\. Chocolate - Established relationship and lots of chocolate pudding. (T)  
> 8\. Happiness - Bruce musing on how happiness has seemed impossible in his life. (G)  
> 9\. Telephone - Tony gives Bruce a phone to take with him when he goes back into hiding. They slowly fall in love via text and calls. (T)  
> 10\. Ears - Team trip to DisneyWorld (G)  
> 11\. Name - 5+1; Bruce and Tony try to make themselves like their full given names. (T)  
> 12\. Sensual - Tony musing on how his entire relationship with Bruce from meeting to getting together was basically foreplay. (T)  
> 13\. Death - Science Husbands; angsty; After Peggy Carter's funeral, Bruce worries about what will happen if he outlives Tony like Steve has outlived Peggy. (T)  
> 14\. Sex - Crackfic where Clint asks Bruce at a team dinner if he can have sex. (T)  
> 15\. Touch - Established relationship; light arc-reactor kink (T)  
> 16\. Weakness - Steve's pov of a light angst moment in Bruce/Tony's relationship post-battle where Tony is injured. (G)  
> 17\. Tears - Tony learns about Bruce having been tortured and cries. Bruce finds him. Light H/C. (T)  
> 18\. Speed - Tony rescues Bruce from Ross' men trying to abduct him, but not before he's drugged. (G)  
> 19\. Wind - Tony talks Bruce into letting him carry him with the suit. (G)  
> 20\. Freedom - Tony asks Bruce a question and he muses on the idea of freedom. (G)  
> 21\. Life - Crackfic where Bruce finally manages to get drunk on Asgardian mead and philosophical-drunk Bruce (with a good deal of 'they're practically high') ensues. (T)  
> 22\. Hands - Team POV of Bruce and Tony's obvious interest in each other, especially each others' hands (M)  
> 23\. Jealousy - Tony is caught in a compromising position by papz looking to fake a story about him (T)  
> 24\. Taste - Tony gets a chance to cook the meal for once :P And he goes all out (T)  
> 25\. Devotion - crack fluff with Tony getting emotional over Grease lol. (G)  
> 26\. Forever - crack fluff; the other Avengers adjust to Bruce and Tony jokingly proposing to one another regularly. (T)  
> 27\. Blood - light angst; Bruce and Hulk discuss what to do when Tony is accidentally poisoned by Bruce's toxic blood. (G)  
> 28\. Sickness - Tony is a handful when he's sick. (G)  
> 29\. Melody - Tony and Bruce both have musical triggers (T)  
> 30\. Lightning/Thunder - CRACK. Getting together whilst watching High School Musical. (G)  
> 31\. Confusion - 50 First Dates AU that is also kidfic. (G)  
> 32\. Home - House Hunters AU; no powers, cracky fluff, pre-kidfic. (G)  
> 33\. Hell - Cracky, AoU fix-it with angst/whump/fluff. (T)  
> 34\. Star - Deep Space, sorta steampunk AU thing (G)  
> 35\. Fear - Kidfic with original daughter (G)  
> 36\. Bonds - Regency-inspired AU, no homophobia, indentured servitude (T)  
> 37\. Market - Grocery Store AU, no powers, average lives (T)  
> 38\. Technology - Robots & Androids AU, Human!Bruce/Robot!Tony (T)  
> 39\. Gift - IM2 canon divergence AU (M)  
> 40\. Smile - post-Avengers canon divergence; fluff, Tony makes a study of Bruce's many smiles (G)  
> 41\. Innocence - Tony and Bruce are de-aged (G)  
> 42\. Heaven - When Bruce seems to be on his deathbed, he has an important decision to make (G) Angst & Fluff  
> 43\. Completion - When Natasha picks up Bruce from Kolkata she sees his soul mark and knows what's coming (G)  
> 44\. Sky - What if Bruce hadn't shown up to the battle like Tony had expected him to? (T)  
> 45\. Sun - The Avengers take turns giving Hulk his lullaby, but Tony always goes a step further; not AOU compliant (G)  
> 46\. Moon - Astronaut/Space AU (G)

_You're being ridiculous_.

That voice was small and easily drowned out by the voice that cried, _Please, be okay. You have to be okay._

Bruce wandered aimlessly around the tower, just walking, trying to bring himself back to consciousness so he could be reasonable again.

But there was nothing reasonable about it. He just wanted to _see_ him. _Needed_ to see him.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" He sighed as he stood numbly in the communal kitchen.

"Dr. Banner, if you proceed to the workshop, you will find Mr. Stark still very much awake." _And alive_.

"Thank you," Bruce said, voice still soft. The AI had seemingly come to understand his problem in the months since he'd moved into the tower and was always ready to supply him with where Tony was when he needed to know.

Bruce padded slowly over to the elevator and rode it all the way down to the garage workshop where Tony tinkered on the classic cars he liked to restore and re-engineer. As soon as he laid eyes on the billionaire, looking every bit like a run of the mill grease monkey as he leaned under the hood of a car, Bruce felt the tension fall from his shoulders. Tony was alive. He was okay. There was no need to disturb him. Seeing him was enough.

He turned to leave, but was stopped as he almost always was. "Hey, couldn't sleep?" Bruce turned back again and saw Tony facing him with the warm smile that had slowly begun to wrap itself around Bruce's heart in ways that made him tremble. "Wanna keep me company? I could use it."

Bruce gave a soft smile and nod in return. Somehow whenever he came to find Tony, the engineer never blinked at the suspicious behavior and somehow always had the insight to just extend to him an easy offer of staying in his company. Finding out from J.A.R.V.I.S. that Tony was okay was well and good, seeing him was enough, but being near him was the real comfort.

 

Someday Tony would work up the nerve to approach the subject of Bruce's nightmares, and more boldly ask if there was even the ghost of a chance that any of those nightmares were about losing _him_. Until then, whenever he was still awake and J.A.R.V.I.S. alerted him that Bruce had stirred from a nightmare and was looking for him, Tony would gladly take comfort in being able to be the one Bruce chose to take comfort in.


	2. Kiss

Wide eyes and silence so loud it threatens to shatter them.

"Did we?" 

A nervous whisper.

"I think so?"

A pregnant pause.

"Can I... I mean- Do _you_..."

A gentle stutter.

" _Yes_."

Lips crashing again and experiments forgotten in favor of something better.


	3. Soft

"It'll grow back," Bruce reassures as he stands in the doorway of their en suite, watching Tony take a razor through what's left of his singed van dyke.  

"Easy for you to say. Not all of us look like wooly mammoths by five o'clock," Tony snipes as he finishes up, but Bruce knows the edge in his voice is his displeasure at having to shave and not really intended to insult him. Proving this, Tony sighs in regret, setting aside the razor and picking up a small towel as he does. "Sorry. I like your five o'clock shadow. I do. I just-"

Bruce interrupts him by grabbing the towel from Tony's hand and cleaning off the excess for him. He then brings Tony's lips to his own gently, re-experiencing the feeling of soft skin against his face rather than the other man's signature facial hair that he's grown more than a little accustom to. He then pulls away and smoothes his fingertips across the newly exposed skin reverently.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Tony asks, eyes still closed and his content expression betraying that he's enjoying the sensation as well.

Bruce exchanges his fingertips with kisses, ghosting around the edges of Tony's lips and along his jaw. "I am," he murmurs at the corner of Tony's mouth before capturing his lips again. "But I enjoy the facial hair too," he adds with a thin smile as he pulls away again and his eyes take in all of Tony's face sans hair like it's an art study.

Tony opens his eyes and Bruce can only hope he sees the love he has for him regardless of the outside package. The warm smile that spreads across Tony's face reassures him that he does.

"It'll grow back," Tony concedes.


	4. Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for Bruce torture + physical/emotional damage + Tony subjected to feeling helpless on Bruce's behalf. So pretty much angst. I kind of hate myself for this.

" _Tony_ …" Bruce's voice curdled his blood, threatened his constitution. "Tony? _Tony, it hurts_. Why does it hurt?" He continued to mumble, voice strangled and eyes fluttering open and closed.

Tony couldn't stop the tears that brimmed in his eyes, pooling but refusing to fall. His wrath against General Ross had been furious, but now his wrath was replaced by heart wrenching sorrow and dread at the sight of Bruce, half-conscious from the drugs he'd been fed and severely battered from an initial round of torture for torture's sake. He could only breathe the bittersweet relief that they had found him before the actual experimentation had begun.

"Tony, it hurts. _It hurts_." Tony wasn't even sure Bruce was aware that he was really there with him. Perhaps Bruce thought he was a phantom or maybe he hadn't even registered him as anyone at all and it was his instinct to call for him. That made Tony's heart tighten further.

"I know, baby. I know. It'll be okay." Tony made his voice as soothing as he could manage against the dryness that settled in and threatened to strangle him. "You're going to be okay, Bruce. The doctors will take care of you. And it won't hurt anymore. I promise."

But he knew it was a pie-crust promise. Because even if the wounds healed, the pain that Bruce was constantly subjected to was already internalized. Years of pain he didn't deserve long before this kind of trauma came along to make it worse. Bruce would always be a little bit in pain, and some days more than others. Tony could only be there to rescue him from things like this and try his damnedest to protect him from it ever happening again. Tony could only be there to love him through the pain. He could promise that much, but it hurt him that he couldn't promise more.


	5. Potatoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More angst. Sigh. And TW for Bruce's past with the destructive tendencies/bomb making. Also the "monster" language.

Bruce is in the communal kitchen, peeling potatoes for the team dinner when Tony walks in. As usual, Tony immediately notices the bowl of already sliced potatoes and snags a piece. Bruce glares at him a little, but of course he eats it anyways. He rolls his eyes and continues his task without saying anything.

"Have you ever made a potato gun or a potato bomb?" Tony asks at random, voice a little too chipper for the discussion of weaponizing a food source.

Bruce's face pales. There's not a single hint of green. He's not angry. He's going to be sick.

Tony notices and quickly takes the peeler from Bruce's hand. "Hey, you okay? Did I say—what did I say? A trigger?"

Bruce swallows hard. "The bomb part, yeah," he forces the words out.

"I'm-"

" _Don't say sorry_ ," Bruce cuts him off sharply, but Tony barely blinks. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm always sorry. I-" He pauses abruptly, exhaling a shaky breath and Tony rubs circles into the crook of his neck until he's ready to continue. "I had an obsession with building bombs as a kid, before the…high school thing. Just small ones. Out of anything I could find. And then they got more and more elaborate. More purposeful. And then eventually I just-"

His face breaks and Tony's breaks along with it as he recalls the story about the bomb that didn't explode. The memory had left the man trembling in tears the entire night he'd made his remorseful confession to Tony, afraid that the billionaire would turn him away as he felt he deserved to be. _Always a monster_ , he had whispered over and over.

"God, Tony. I got so close to killing them. I was _so_ close." Bruce looks up at Tony with frenzied, sorrowful eyes. "I really am a mon-"

Tony cuts the word off with a firm kiss to his lips. "Were. Were a monster…" Tony doesn't believe that, but he's learned that he can't ignore Bruce's troubled past any more than he likes people making excuses for his being once having been a Merchant of Death. "Well, a monster-type," he corrects, "because you were abused and shaped by an actual monster and what you went through, Bruce – a lot of people crack under that kind of pressure. But nothing happened and you regret it. You've changed. Whatever you think you were then, you're not a monster now."

"I wish knowing that helped," Bruce says with a sad shake of his head.

"It's not a matter of knowing, Bruce. It's a matter of believing it. I believe it. But I can't believe it for you." Tony kisses him again, this time gently just at his hair line. "I love you whether you ever do or not though."

Bruce thinks he may never have that kind of peace about it, but at least he has Tony's love to make the doubt manageable.


	6. Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for incest 'joke' - it's more like an observation in the middle of a lighthearted conversation (which irl the topic is/should be very serious) so please proceed with caution if the word/mention triggers you.

Tony found Bruce lounging on the couch, back against the arm and legs sprawled across it. He had a mug of tea in both hands and a surprisingly content smile on his face as he watched something on the television. Tony narrowed his eyes and moved closer, hearing a familiar refrain of song that answered his question as to what film had Bruce's attention.

_I'm singin' in the rain. Just singin' in the rain._

"Hey, I'm just in time for the iconic scene," Tony announced himself casually and Bruce immediately moved his legs to allow Tony to sit down before returning them so his feet rested in Tony's lap.

"It's one of my aunt's favorites," Bruce offered conversationally after a moment.

"It's a campy classic," Tony responded. He could admit that some of the classic musicals were classics for a reason. "Donald O'Connor steals the movie though."

"I agree."

"And I'm never sure if I prefer Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire overall as a performer. I feel like personally, I have Gene's attitude and Fred's savoir faire."

Bruce snorted as he set his tea mug down on the end table. "So if you were a dancer you'd be their love child?"

"Oh yeah. For sure." Tony nodded. "I think you'd be Gene and Ginger's."

Bruce laughed a little more clearly at that. "Well, that would make our relationship a little complicated. Incest, not really my thing. Besides, in no universe would I ever be a dancer."

Tony winced and nodded. "Yeah, okay, so you're not the dancer. Your mother's the dancer. Still Ginger. And your father is a reserved science professor or something. Probably played by Jimmy Stewart for the awkwardness factor."

"I think there's a movie like that actually-"

"And so you take after him. Incest problem solved. You meet me, still a dancer, and it's totally a clash of worlds. Takes place in New York of course."

"Of course. And is it a musical?"

"Definitely. Busby Berkeley directed. Pre-code."

"It would have to be. Otherwise, we'd have to settle for titillating homoerotic subtext."

This time Tony snorted. "Right? And who wants that? I mean, come on. One look at us on screen together and everyone would know there's more to it than that. And they'd be super pissed if one of us ended up with the token girl."

"I'd hope so anyway," Bruce said with another small laugh. "Maybe you should become a screenwriter."

"Not a bad idea. Or, you know, buy a film company and dictate movie ideas for other people to write movies around."

"That could work too."

"Avengers: The Musical," Tony suggested.

"It'll be bigger than Frozen."

"Oh no. No, no. That movie is banned. Don't even say the F-word."

"I thought only Clint was banned from all things F-word on premises?"

"I just decided, I'm extending it to everybody. No F-word," Tony said in complete seriousness.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "That's a vague rule that could easily be misconstrued. So like no F-wording at all?"

Tony smiled and wagged a finger. "Musicals make you horny don't they? You would have been one of those show kid nerds if you weren't a science nerd."

Bruce shrugged. "Maybe. Still not clear on the F-wording."

"Oh, there will still be F-wording. Soon probably."

"At which point you'll proceed to-"

Tony blanched. "Don't say it. Don't even say it. Don't-"

" _Let it go_."

Tony immediately moved to tackle Bruce into the couch, the physicist's laughter spilling out and drowning out the movie as they wrestled playfully.

_What a glorious feeling. I'm happy again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After two back to back angst pieces, I definitely needed to just write something random and cracky. And I'm an old Hollywood cinephile so it started with being inspired by the word rain to go with something _Singin' In The Rain_ related only to derail from there into random old Hollywood references and jibes at Age of Ultron. Not sure how the heck Frozen crept into this mess. But I guess it got to the overall point that I was trying to make - Bruce is happy again in spite of the metaphorical rain in his life.
> 
> There is a movie with Ginger Rogers and Jimmy Stewart called _Vivacious Lady_ in which Ginger is a dancer/singer and Jimmy Stewart is a reserved science professor.


	7. Chocolate

Bruce wandered into his and Tony's kitchen, thinking about an equation he'd been working on earlier in the day. He'd been working perhaps a little too much on it and really needed to take a step back and refocus. He let out a sigh, glad that he could put his mind to cooking a nice dinner for himself and Tony.

They didn't do nice dinners, just the two of them, nearly as often as they should. He thought maybe he should be more aggressive in fixing their bad habits of cold cuts three hours after they'd forgotten to eaten because of science and pizza and other take-out. They could probably use some normalcy – or maybe domesticity was a little bit what he was looking for if he'd allow himself to admit it – now that they had been together for a while.

Thoughts about equations and domesticity were brought to a sharp end, however, when he opened a cabinet and found it stacked to the full on every shelf with instant chocolate pudding boxes.

"What the hell?"

He closed the cabinet, wondering if he was imagining things – maybe delusional from the previous night's science bender – and then opened it again. Still there. He then dared to open the cabinet door beside it and…

"Seriously, what the hell?"

Bruce couldn't even begin to understand what was going on here because there were two full cabinets of chocolate pudding. He wasn't even going to open the other cabinets. What he didn't know would definitely not hurt him in this case.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., could you tell Tony to come to the kitchen please?"

"I have just informed him, sir," the AI intoned after a few beats of silence.

Bruce shut both cabinets and waited with as much patience as he could muster, but the tapping of his foot against the floor didn't do much to make a good show of it. Finally, the elevator door opened and Tony stepped out.

"Hey, what's up?" Tony had a carefree smile, not at all aware of what he was walking into.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Bruce asked with a raised eyebrow and steady tone that Tony had come to know as the "busted" tone.

Tony stopped in his tracks. "Uh… I can probably explain. If, uh, I know what it is I need to, uh, explain."

"Huh. Okay," Bruce said, turning towards the cabinets and opening them both at the same time. He then turned to see Tony's wide-eyed, guilty ( _and_ _embarrassed?_ ) expression. "So start explaining."

"Yeah, okay, so last night when we were, you know, a little tipsy…"

"I was a little tipsy. You were being a reckless drunk," Bruce corrected.

"Uh huh. Yeah. So I may or may not have had J.A.R.V.I.S. order 500 boxes of chocolate pudding." Tony avoided Bruce's direct gaze like the plague.

Bruce's eyebrows shot up. " _500_?" He quickly moved to open more cabinets and drawers and sure enough there were boxes of pudding _everywhere_. "But…when? And… _Why?_ "

"Don't quite recall the when. I think maybe at some point when you had wandered into the other lab muttering something about washing your hands of my death. I don't know."

"It was shortly after that, yes, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. provided helpfully. 

"Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S.," Bruce said before narrowing his gaze on Tony. "And the why?"

"Um, okay, don't laugh. I…" Tony scratched at his cheek. "Yep, no normal way to put this. At some point last night I might have had a fantasy about you- That is, us… In a tub full of chocolate pudding?"

Bruce's eyes widened. He made a valiant effort of it. He really did. But the need to laugh was too strong.

"Really, Tony?" He asked after a long minute, his voice breathy as he regained composure. "Yeah, we're not doing that," he said with a shake of his head, still wearing an amused smile.

"I- I know. I just, wasn't sure what to do with all of the pudding when it arrived."  

Bruce noted the slight disappointment and sighed. "Look, not that it doesn't sound… Uh, interesting? It would be a waste of sustenance and hell to clean up. So instead of that how about we donate most of these boxes to a food pantry or school and then-"

"Then?" Bruce almost laughed again at the sudden hopefulness that replaced the other man's disappointment.

"And then I'll let you decide what you want to do with the rest," he answered with a smirk, already seeing the gears turning just behind Tony's eyes. Yeah, this would still be interesting.


	8. Happiness

When Bruce was a kid, happiness was a night his dad didn't come home or a week he threatened to leave them and almost made good on his promise (if only they were that lucky). It was the chance to be with his mother without fear. It was hearing her voice without the tears or her lullabies under circumstances not meant to soothe away his father's cruelty. That happiness was so _fleeting,_ he was never able to truly pin down the feeling and internalize happiness as something that could truly exist.

When Bruce was a little older, happiness wasn't really a word he believed was presently possible. He could enjoy himself with his cousin. He tried to appreciate his aunt. But happiness was something to be achieved. It was a fixation on a future where he made others hurt. He was a monster and as such his own happiness could only be achieved by way of destruction. That's what made monsters happy.

When Bruce began to mature and escape the darkness of his youth, the closest thing he could fathom as comparable to happiness was science. Almost-happiness was building bombs for a purpose other than malicious destruction. It was using his genius to actually achieve something. It was finding a way to change the world and change himself and create a future and maybe even a present where real happiness could finally be achieved.  

When Bruce met Betty he was reminded of his mother and those fleeting moments of happiness that had existed with her. Betty was beautiful and kind and forgiving and everything his mother would have wanted for him. Happiness became the idea of treating Betty the way his mother had deserved from his father. Happiness became the idea of having with Betty the life he wished he and his mother could have had – picket fences and a house filled with love and respect. He would have given everything for that happiness, but just like with his mother it wasn't meant to last. It had been fleeting and after the accident, he could only make good on his promise to give Betty the happiness his mother had deserved by removing himself from the equation – that at least he _could_ do and prove once and for all he was not his father's son.

On the run and lonely and trying to do make good, he could only conclude that happiness wasn't a lasting, tangible thing. It couldn’t be. It was impossible for someone like him.

Luckily for Bruce Banner, impossible was not in Tony Stark's vocabulary.


	9. Telephone

Bruce sighed as he felt the phone that lay just underneath his pillow. Pulling it out, he tentatively brushed his fingers across the smooth screen. Accepting it had been his first mistake.

He pushed the button that activated the screen and saw the notification for the latest message waiting for him. His thumb hovered over it, merely delaying the inevitable. Answering that first text message several months prior had been his second mistake.

_**Tony-- Hey, buddy. Doing good? This whole Avengers thing is already boring without you.** _  
_Bruce-- I've been gone for 3 days. How are you already bored?_

_**Tony-- So… I think I figured out a way to make Hulk proof pants. Now you can leave the waking up Stark naked to me ;)** _  
_Bruce-- Why are you winking? I'm not there to see you wake up stark naked so it's not comparative to when I wake up naked post-Hulk. But thanks for the thought. Or was it a proposition ;)_

_**Tony-- I broke up with Pepper** _  
_Bruce-- ... Why? She seemed perfect from the few times I met her._  
_**Tony-- She is perfect. But I realized the long term relationship I want isn't with her.**_  
_Bruce-- So there's someone else then?_  
_**Tony-- No, but there's the dream of someone else.**_  
_Bruce-- Did you just quote You've Got Mail?_  
_**Tony-- Yeah, I've been wasted and drowning my break up feelings in ice cream and romcoms.**_  
_Bruce-- Well there are more destructive ways to handle it I guess…at least you didn't blow up anything...right?_

_**Tony-- this fuckin equation won't work tell me what the hell i'm doing wrong!!!!!!! --attached photo--** _  
_Bruce-- [Tony Voice] Calm down, Big Guy. You forgot to carry the 1._  
_**Tony-- ....................................**_  
_Bruce-- I think I heard your expletive laden rant from here._  
_**Tony--** This is why you need to come back._

_**Tony-- You up? I uh… Another nightmare. Thought maybe… You know.** _  
_Bruce-- I'm up. I'll call you in a few minutes._

_**Tony-- I keep having fantasies of us doing drunk science together. Is this normal?** _  
_Bruce-- Not that I'm aware of. But the question is are we naked while doing this drunk science?_  
_**Tony-- Of course. All of my fantasies about us involve gratuitous nudity.**_  
_Bruce-- Right. Forgot._

_**Tony-- Steve got the idea to go to a nightclub thinking it was like those smoky cocktail places from the 30s and 40s! Oh man he was red in the face for days!** _  
_Bruce-- I can't really say I blame him. Classy > Trashy any day of the week._  
_**Tony-- You'd really like the galas and things I go to for SI and various charities. Definitely classy. Some are better than others though.**_  
_Bruce-- Maybe I would._

Falling in love had been his third mistake.

He sighed again as he finally read the most recent message.

_**Tony-- I know I said I wouldn't bring it up again, but I really miss you, Bruce.**  _

He clicked on Tony's name and then the call button that popped up as an option. He held his breath and waited for Tony to pick up. It would be day time in Manhattan.

"Bruce?" Tony's disbelieving, slightly hopeful yet slightly fearful voice shattered the last of his resolve.

"I miss you too, Tony."

Refusing to go back and take a chance would be another mistake. And it was one he wasn't going to make. 


	10. Ears

"This was a spectacularly bad idea," Bruce said as he looked around at all of the animatronic dolls singing the same horrifying song over and over and over and _will this ride ever end?_

"We both know that's just code for 'this was a great idea, Tony, but I want to pretend like it wasn't'," Tony quipped beside him.

Bruce snorted. "Actually, I'm pretty sure even Tower of Terror would have been less likely to upset the Other Guy. These dolls are creepy as fuck. And if the dolls don't cause an incident, this song will." Tony laughed as well.

When the team had come to the charity children's event at DisneyWorld, they both knew that any of the rides that would cause the sort of adrenaline rush and accelerated heart rate that comes along with a free fall would be out of the question for Bruce. So Tony had made sure their VIP guide took him and Bruce to pretty much every single ride and attraction that wouldn't upset the Other Guy to make up for Bruce not being able to indulge in the other rides with the rest of the team. So far, it had been going well and they'd been having fun with the calmer things the park had to offer. Tony definitely hadn't counted on _It's A Small World_ being the thing that might threaten Bruce's control.

Their boat came to an abrupt stop, a quick auto-announcement about a short delay was made, and Bruce immediately blanched. "Oh no. Oh, god, please don't let this happen."

They'd of course both heard the horror stories of the ride stopping for long periods of time (who hadn't?) and park guests swearing they were scarred for life. Bruce had never considered those stories as anything more than an exaggeration to fuel the urban legend. Now as the very real possibility of being stuck here for longer than necessary was upon him, Bruce realized how wrong he had been.  

"Calm down, Big Guy." Bruce wasn't quite sure who Tony was trying to soothe in that moment, himself or the Hulk, but the rumble in the back of his head softened a little so it didn't particularly matter. Tony, somewhat teasingly and somewhat earnestly, cupped his hands over Bruce's ears and kissed his temple. "It'll start up again soon."

Not long after he made that confident statement, because of course Tony Stark could will even a DisneyWorld ride to do his bidding, the ride did start up again and continued without a hitch the rest of the way. And in case had it stopped again, Tony had jokingly (or maybe not jokingly) reassured Bruce that he would just jump out and go fix the damn thing himself. Being in a relationship with a billionaire engineer definitely had its perks.

Upon escaping the ride, they were immediately greeted by Clint and Natasha, the former holding a bag from one of the gift shops, standing beside their waiting VIP tour guide.

"I've got Mouse Ears!" Clint said cheerfully and Tony grabbed the bag quickly.

"Are those…" Bruce studied them curiously. "Wait, Avengers ears?" He took one from Tony and inspected it. There'd been plenty of merchandise for the team since they'd become popular, but this seemed a little much.

"Yeah," Tony said with a shrug as he donned a pair. "Disney's been pushing me to sell them some kind of rights to make a movie about the team. This is probably them trying to schmooze the deal."

"I wasn't aware you had the sole rights to the Avengers brand to make that call," Natasha replied first, dryly.

"Obviously I don't, but they don't need to know that," Tony countered. He then took out his phone and looked at the time before turning his attention to Bruce. "We've got an hour left until our reservations. What do you want to hit up next?"

Bruce considered it for a moment and looked at the map the VIP guide offered him. "PhilHarmagic was fun. I wouldn't mind doing that again. Under The Sea is probably lame, but if we need to kill more time, we haven't done that yet."

"You did not just diss _The Little Mermaid_ ," Tony said in mock resentment. "That's it. I'm revoking your right to wear these." He grabbed the ears that Bruce hadn't even put on yet.

"I wasn't going to," Bruce countered with a playful smirk.

"Oh, I see. Well then, reverse psychology. Just for that you are wearing them." He then fixed them onto the top of Bruce's head before grinning at his 'handiwork'.

"Where are your reservations?" Natasha interrupted.

"Be Our Guest," Tony said with a smile as he wrapped his arm around Bruce's waist.

" _Beauty and the Beast_. Appropriate," Natasha said with a quirk of her lips. "And to be clear, you're the beast in this metaphor, Stark."

Tony shrugged. "Probably true."

"Aww man," Clint looked dejected. "You got reservations?" Tony and Bruce shared a smile between them.

"Yep, in an hour," Tony reiterated, but before Clint could get defensive about his not needing to rub it in, as he was clearly on the verge of doing, the engineer added, "and yours are in two."

"What?" Clint looked back and forth between them.

"I made reservations for the rest of you to have dinner there too. I just made an earlier reservation for us for reasons that should probably be obvious." Tony hugged Bruce closer as if to make his point. "Then I figure we can meet up for Wishes later."

"Thanks, man. That's awesome," Clint said in earnest gratefulness. Natasha rolled her eyes slightly, but there was a thin, fond smile on her face that told them she was grateful for the thoughtfulness too.

"Well, you two have fun then," she offered and then dragged Clint away before he could make a sap of himself over a restaurant.

Once they were gone, Tony just shook his head. "I honestly didn't think it would make his day that much."

Bruce smiled warmly. "Maybe not, but it's the fact you thought to do that at all that matters. Lucky for me, the beast is a prince after all," he teased fondly, ignoring Tony's soft groan.


	11. Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up longer than I expected - probably long enough to be a stand alone lol, but I couldn't stop once I started. It turned into a 5times thing with way too much fluff at the end.

The first time it happened in front of the team, none of the others knew what to think, let alone how to respond.

"Anthony," Bruce said with a nod to the engineer as he came into the communal kitchen later than usual that morning, the physicist already on his way out to head to the lab.

"Robert," Tony said with his own nod.

The rest of the team looked at one another in concern. The same question was on the tip of their tongues. Had the two got into a fight? Was this the moment everyone secretly dreaded was inevitable, but also secretly hoped would never happen – more for the two men's sake than any team dynamic aspect – and if so what would they do about it?

Before the question could be posed aloud, Bruce and Tony stopped just before they passed by one another, kissed warmly, smiled as they broke apart and then went about their business as if nothing strange had just occurred.

 

The second time it happened was later that same evening when the team was settled in around the television with take out. Bruce had been finishing up work on a time sensitive sample and was the last to join them, about thirty minutes after they'd started eating and arguing over what to watch.

"Hey, Robert!" Tony called as soon as the elevator opened. The entire team immediately stopped arguing for a moment, looking at one another and watching how the scene might play out. "You look beat. Come sit. I'll heat up your food for you."

Bruce smiled and sat down next to Tony and said, "Thanks, Anthony."

"No problem, babe," Tony replied as genuinely as ever, accentuated by a peck on the lips before going to do just as he had volunteered.

Nothing else unusual happened, leaving the team to speculate silently on this sudden change in addresses between the two.

 

The third time it happened, several days later, the team had somehow managed to find themselves in the common room at the same time, for different reasons. Tony and Bruce were at the bar signing paperwork for Pepper; now that Bruce worked for SI officially, Pepper had begun using the tactic of arranging as best she could for their respective paperwork to be signed at the same time so as to give Tony less of a reason to wheedle out of it (the days she didn't have a single thing for Bruce and time sensitive things for Tony were still a nightmare).  

Tony looked down at the current document he was about to sign and just barely read the name in time, blinking slightly. "Who do I blame, Pep? You or your assistant?" Pepper glanced at him curiously. "I'm not Robert," he said playfully.

"And I'm not Anthony," Bruce echoed as he looked down at the same document in his own pile and noticed it was Tony's. They casually traded off as the team immediately watched for Pepper's reaction to this unusual use of given names out loud. 

She seemed entirely unfazed. Perhaps she thought they were joking since their legal names were on the documents.

"I'll have a word with her," Pepper said in reference to her assistant – because no way would she make that kind of mistake – and then the rest of the time was spent in relative silence until Pepper brought up a meeting Tony wasn't interested in. 

 

The fourth time it happened was shortly after a battle with the team gathered nearby waiting for Bruce to wake up from a transformation, allowing Tony the closest proximity as usual. Normally they would have let Tony handle it on his own, but they were all a little on edge as they hadn't really needed the Hulk and it was because Tony had been knocked unconscious for a short time that had triggered his appearance. It was another reminder of not only the mortality that the some on the team possessed, but also how deeply it could affect them all regardless of if their relationships were platonic or romantic. They had all been afraid for Tony and also for Bruce should the Hulk do something he would regret (he didn't).

This time when Bruce woke up, he did so with a startled gasp and looked directly at Tony. The fear that was on his face, indicative that he recalled what had happened before the transformation, was immediately replaced with relief and he clung to Tony.

"Don't scare me like that, Anthony," he choked out. "God, please, I thought-"

Tony pulled him into his arms tightly, silencing that kind of thinking. "I know, Robert, I know. It's okay. I'm okay."

The team, though still not used to their using each others' formal names, couldn't bring themselves to care one way or another about it on that occasion. The moment was too raw to quibble about those kinds of things. What mattered was they were all okay.

 

The fifth time it happened, a good month later, they were in the common room again and Tony came bounding in looking for Bruce. "Robert! It's happened!" His tone was so exuberant that everyone had to stop what they were doing to see what was going on; the name was just a side thought.

"What?" Bruce looked at him with a curious smile. "What's happened? Spit it out, Anthony," he insisted as Tony had just been generally flailing and not really getting to the point.

Tony stopped and clasped Bruce by both arms and smiled. "Ross. He's reached HYT."

"What?" Bruce's eyes widened. "Are you- Seriously?"

Tony nodded furiously. "Just got the confirmation from Rhodey. God, Bruce, this is it. You're finally free from that bastard. Rhodey said the army isn't looking to replace him and the Hulkbuster branch is in the process of being decommissioned."

"Oh my god. Oh my god! Tony!" Bruce threw his arms around Tony and for a long, surreal moment it was just the two of them sharing each other's company.

"That's great news," Steve offered first, bringing the two apart. "Just a shame they didn't do it sooner."

"Even if they just demote his sorry ass, he won't have the same pull now. How the mighty fall in that echelon," Clint said with a nod. "But, okay, not to break up the celebratory moment. I have to finally ask. What the hell is going on with you two?"

Tony and Bruce gave each other a long, confused look.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "What Mr. Vague here means is what prompted you to start using each other's given names at random? You don't always do it and you're clearly more comfortable with Bruce and Tony."

"Oh," Bruce said, coloring slightly. "I guess we didn't think about what their reaction, did we?"

Tony laughed slightly. "I assumed they'd roll with it like Pepper did. You want to explain?"

Bruce shrugged then looked back at the team. "Positive association. Neither one of us are really comfortable with our given first names because, well, our childhoods. They were typically used in anger or disappointment. So, we thought we'd try to reverse that a little by using them fondly or in situations where we're not upset with each other."

"So the opposite of the first-middle-last treatment?" Clint asked with a tilt of his head.

"Precisely," Bruce answered. "It's still a little weird. But it seemed like an important experiment. After all, I don't love him any less as Anthony than I do as Tony. It's good for him to know that."

"And Robert is just as important to me as Bruce," Tony added.

The team seemed pretty impressed by the concept as well as supportive, offering to help them add to the positive association on occasion if they were willing.

 

They hadn't yet used one another's given names at any point in the bedroom since at the heart of things, they were still most familiar with one another as Bruce and Tony and happy with how those names sounded on one another's lips. But later that same night as they lay together in sated bliss, both intoxicated from their celebratory passion, it seemed like the right moment.

"I love you, Anthony," Bruce whispered first, leaving a lazy kiss on the skin closest to where his head rested.

"I love you too, Robert," Tony followed suit with an equally lazy kiss to Bruce's hair.

Neither name had ever sounded so right before.


	12. Sensual

Contrary to popular belief, Tony Stark could do sensual.

He could do more than bluntly sexual innuendo. He could do more than fast and hard. He could do more than kink.

He could do slow. He could do barely there touches. He could do massages. He could do candlelight and petals and chocolate fondue.  

He could definitely reign in his manic need for gratification in order to build at a glacial pace to the glorious climax.

But there was a reason why Tony Stark chose not to do sensual. Sensuality required an inherent intimacy. And intimacy was the furthest thing from his mind when he pseudo sweet talked, or outright dirty talked, someone into bed for fast and hard and typically very kinky.

Save the very rare occasion where a conquest required the wine and dine technique, and even then he was careful to keep guarded against the intimacy, he didn't have time for true sensuality. What was the point when you'd abandon the bed before dawn and send your personal assistant to kick them out?

So it was a revelation like a shock to his arc reactor the first time he decided he wanted to share that kind of experience with Bruce. It wasn't the realization that he was willing to let himself be open and intimate and slow with the other man. It was the realization that their entire relationship had been sensual from the start.

The moment he had crossed the bridge of the Helicarrier to meet the brilliant physicist had been the start of a slow build, a passionate dance, a series of gradually more intimate touches and words and moments, until at last they reached the climax. It was a glorious climax where neither could deny their absolute need to be together, to be one.

Yes, Tony Stark could definitely do sensual, but it was meeting Bruce Banner that gave him a reason to.


	13. Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♫ Everything is awful. Everything is sucky writing Bruce Banner angst. ♫ TW for discussion of death, mortality (or immortality), loss of loved ones, etc. Although neither Tony nor Bruce die in this so it's not THAT kind of deathfic.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked as he sat on their bed, watching as Bruce stared silently into the mirror.

Bruce didn't answer, but Tony still knew something was wrong. The man hadn't even yet bothered to take off his black suit which was always the first thing he ever did upon coming home after having worn it for hours.

This was one of those times when Tony would have to decide whether or not to give his husband some space or press the issue in typical Tony Stark fashion. The distant look in Bruce's eyes in the mirror, the one that spoke of a tortured mind afraid to snap, made his decision for him. He stood from the bed and moved closer to Bruce, leaving an arm's length between them so as not to crowd him.

"Hey, babe. Please, talk to me," Tony urged gently, willing to wait in silence until Bruce was ready.

"What if I…" Bruce closed his eyes. "… _can't_?"

He didn't have to elaborate for Tony to know what he meant. They had recently returned from Peggy Carter's funeral and Steve had been in disarray, feeling the weight of his own slow degeneration. It was always an unspoken question of whether or not Bruce would suffer the same fate, or worse, since the Hulk wouldn't let him kill himself or even get severely wounded.

"Hey, hey," Tony reached out a soothing hand to place on Bruce's shoulder. "Listen to me. We've still got time to figure this out."

"Time?" Bruce spun around, his broken face meeting Tony's gaze and sending the billionaire's heart into his stomach. "That's just it, Tony. There isn’t time. There's never going to be enough time."

Tony opened his mouth, but closed it again. He was sure there was a point Bruce was trying to make that somehow countered the idea that Bruce could, theoretically, have all the time in the world. But he was too lost in the heartache on Bruce's face, in his voice, to figure out what that point might be.

" _Tony_ ," Bruce all but whined his name in a way that for once didn't arouse Tony in the least. "No matter how old you live to be, I still might lose you!" His voice cracked as he choked out the words and fell against Tony's chest, clenching at his suit.

Tony quickly wrapped his arms around the man he'd, even to his own surprise, chosen to spend the rest of his life with. He didn't want to think about how that man's life might go on without him for an undeterminable length of time. He didn't want to worry about being forgotten or that his death would drive Bruce mad until the Hulk became the monster the physicist had always feared he was underneath it all.

Tony was a futurist, but not now. Not like this. He wanted to live in the present and hold Bruce in place, fixed, permanent, forever, timeless, two hearts beating as one in a way that shouldn't make sense yet felt like nothing else in the universe had _ever_ made sense before they found one another.

The futurist was the one who spoke soothingly just the same. "I promise you, Bruce. I don't know how yet, but I'm not going to let you down." He pushed aside his own fears, or maybe it was his fears that drove him, and replaced them with determination. "Because you trusted me with forever," he added, a murmur, a reference to their vows. 'Til death do us part held so much more weight than they could have fathomed and yet, Bruce had trusted his heart to that risk, to Tony. "You trusted me," Tony murmured again, his lips buried in curls as he breathed in the scent that wrecked him body, mind, and soul.

Bruce's tear-stained face moved from his chest, Tony's head moving back in turn, to study Tony's tentatively determined expression. He moved his trembling hand to Tony's cheek and nodded weakly. "I trust you," he whispered and their lips met in a needy kiss.

 It was slow, fast, soft, rough, scared, hopeful, broken, complete, but above all _defiant_. They would figure this out.


	14. Sex

"You know, I've been wondering something," Clint said, a considering look on his face, as he talked around a bite of his pasta. 

"Does it have anything to do with manners?" Steve asked, humor in his tone. They'd had enough team dinners by now to know that manners weren't really something any of them had in spades - for one reason or another. 

"I'm pretty sure that Clint would never waste his time on that topic," Bruce added with a chuckle. There were a few accompanying sniggers.

"Actually it's something about you, doc," Clint replied nonchalantly to the jokes aimed at him.

"Oh?" Bruce raised an eyebrow and waited for the archer to continue.

"Yeah, so like, your file says accelerated heart rate triggers an incident, but it seems that's not always the case. I mean, you've done the SHIELD medical assessments and never even come close. Not to mention you go running with Steve sometimes. So either your stamina is amazing-" He paused and gave Tony a curious look as the man had made a strangled noise and then quickly taken a bite of food to cover it up. "Or else your file is wrong," he finished with a shrug.

Bruce looked down at his plate with a thoughtful expression. "It's a little more complicated than that. In the beginning it was a big factor. And being in danger. The thing is, the Other Guy didn't really distinguish the difference between the two. A casual run could be just as problematic as actually running from something threatening us. But eventually as I gained more control and, well, insight I guess... He seemed to get the point that not everything that makes my heart rate go up is dangerous. I mean, sure if I get good and angry, then all bets are off. And if I'm really in danger, same thing. But you know that already. Also he doesn't really like to do the whole free fall thing. That's- Yeah, that's always a threat most definitely." He then gave a thin smile. "But, it's like I keep telling Tony. I'm not going to Hulk out just because he tries to scare me in the lab."

"I thought we were clear on not provoking the Hulk in the tower," Steve interjected suddenly, glaring at Tony.

"Hey, I do it because I _know_ he's not gonna Hulk out," Tony said in defense. "That's what makes it fun. The Big Guy likes it too. He likes it when I strut around Bruce. It's a game. Lets him know I trust him and think he's super cool."

"He might be right," Bruce said with a shake of his head and smile in spite of the risk. "Emphasis on might," he added as Tony beamed and opened his mouth to say something undoubtedly obnoxious.

"Alright, so, if it's not just about the heart rate," Clint started again, "can you have sex?"

Bruce's eyes widened, Tony made an even more obvious strangled noise, Steve dropped his fork against his plate, Thor smiled heartily and tilted his head in obvious shared curiosity, and Natasha watched on calmly with a slight quirk of her lips that could almost be described as knowing.

"Uh... Um..." Bruce ducked his head and looked as though he were searching for a way to answer that question, but failing.

"Clint, I don't really think it's any of our business-" Steve didn't finish, Clint cutting him off.

"Hey, you don't think it's any of our business that if the guy ever brings home somebody for a little fun, we could have an issue? Or, hell, maybe I'm asking in case any of us gets the idea to give it a go. Myself included."

"Okay, um..." Bruce tried again, face now looking a little flushed. Beside him, Tony's face darkened.

"I agree with Clint," Thor spoke up. "He brings up a good point that we should consider."

"I don't know-" Steve tried to intervene again, this time being cut off by Tony. He huffed in defeat and looked at Natasha. She merely shrugged indifference.

"What good point?" Tony countered sharply. "The one where he thinks Bruce would risk endangering us just to get laid or, hell, risk endangering the person he's sleeping with for that matter because, hello, have you met the man? Or is it the one where he actually thinks anyone's going to get that privilege other than me?"

Tony's eyes widened as soon as the words left his mouth. Steve's head shot up in, well, not horror, but shock and embarrassment. Thor's smile widened twofold. Clint was looking back and forth at the reactions, especially Natasha's, to see if he was the only one who hadn't figured this out (because that would be something he would never live down). And Natasha remained as calm as ever, taking a bite of her dinner as though nothing revelatory had just taken place.

Bruce meanwhile shot Tony a look and then took off his glasses and scrubbed his face a little. "So much for state secrets." He sighed and then put his glasses back on to look at his teammates. "Alright. Yes, I can have sex. No, I did not put everyone here at risk to find that out, in case you're wondering. And..."

"Yes, we're totally going at it like rabbits," Tony finished.

"Not exactly how I would have put it," Bruce objected.

"Not exactly untrue either," Tony countered. He then looked at the others. "But, seriously, don't even get any ideas of," he air quoted, "giving it a go. Unless you want to get to know first hand how I got my Merchant of Death nickname." Bruce's eyes widened and he turned to look at Tony with a 'really?' sort of expression.

"Wow, that's very Christian Grey of you, Stark," Clint said with no lack of sarcasm in his tone. "What, are you guys in some kind of weird contractual sex thing? Is he controlling you, Bruce? You can tell us."

"I'm not understanding any of these references," Steve said uncomfortably.

"That's not a bad thing, Steve," Bruce offered reassuringly. He then gave Clint a disbelieving, but somewhat bemused look. "And, seriously? You think I would sign a sex contract with a man like Tony? Give me a little credit."

"In his defense, you _are_ in a relationship with Stark," Natasha finally spoke.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Clint threw up his hands. " _Relationship?_ So this is more than nerds with benefits? I just assumed-"

Steve sighed dramatically, cutting him off, as if all of the information was just too much. "I've given up assuming anything these days."

"That's the spirit, Cap," Tony said breezily. "Never assume anything. Especially about me. But, yeah, relationship. Now it's all out there in the open. Feel free to congratulate us. Which is also why everyone can keep their ideas to themselves. I'm not sharing."

"See, I'm still not sure if that's possessive or romantic," Bruce interjected, leaning his elbow on the table and resting his cheek against his hand as he looked at Tony studiously. "Because you _could_ just trust me to not want to be with someone else. That's usually the normal thing to do."

"I'm not normal. And you like that about me."

"Or I could just be sleeping with you because you're rich and extremely intelligent."

"I'd be a little offended if neither of those things were part of the reason."

"Hmm. If I had to break it down, it's probably 75% intelligence, 5% rich, 10% sexy as fuck, and 10% arc reactor."

"And don't forget that 10% where I'm cool with the Other Guy and he's cool with me."

"That's 110%."

"And you say that as if I'm limited to 100%."

"In that case, 80% intelligence."

"Oh my god, just get a room," Clint finally interrupted the two men, who seemed to be taking to their freedom to discuss their previously-secret relationship a little too enthusiastically. They had been subconsciously leaning in closer and closer and Clint, although certainly uninhibited and kinky in the sex department, had no desire to see the geniuses going at it while they ate dinner. Or ever now that he was really thinking about it.

"Huh. That is actually an excellent suggestion. Didn't know you had it in you, Barton," Tony gabbled as everyone's eyes widened a little - excluding Natasha's. "Shall we?" Tony stood and looked down at Bruce.

"Yep. Kinda lost it when you said you're not sharing," Bruce answered with a playful smile as he stood to his feet and took Tony's eager hand.

"See, I knew the whole possessive kink was secretly your thing."

"I think it's more like a monogamy kink," Bruce challenged, and it was the last thing the team heard as the two left for the elevator.

"Clint," Steve said, a long suffering and slightly weary tone in his voice, "next time you're wondering something that involves the sex lives of your teammates. Just don't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's always a crapshoot how I feel like explaining Bruce's condition lol.


	15. Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fluff mixed with (mild I think?) arc reactor kink in case that's not your thing

Bruce never touches it outside of routine maintenance when Tony needs his assistance. He never touches it intimately when they first start dating. He's careful to place his hands anywhere else. He buries his head at an angle that avoids it if he's able. He keeps his kisses away from the scars and puckered skin around the rim.

He would never dare touch the most sensitive, most (no matter how beautifully) damaged part of Tony without invitation. Tony has let him in to his private world already. Tony has trusted him as a man and not a monster. He still has his fears that he may hurt Tony someday, but never in this way. He would never objectify Tony's terrible privilege. And he knows the story of Obadiah Stane and the very real fear Tony has that somebody may snatch his lifeline from his chest again.

That doesn't mean he doesn't admire it. It's the thing that keeps Tony alive. It's a physical mark of the man's brilliance. And without it, they very likely would have never met. Maybe that would have been better for Tony, but selfishly Bruce knows how miserable his existence was – Hulk or no Hulk, Betty or no Betty – prior to meeting him. So he can't help but look at it reverentially and then choose just as reverentially to leave it at that.

So it surprises him one day when, out of nowhere, Tony pushes him against the wall of the lab. Well, that's not surprising in and of itself, but the low growl in Tony's voice as he brings his lips to his ear and says, "I need you to do something," _is_ surprising. Usually they're just kissing by now.

And then Tony's shirt is up and over his head and tossed haphazardly away. Bruce doesn't mind, but there's some kind of calculating purpose mixing with Tony's lustful gaze that makes him wonder what this is all about.

"I need you to touch it," he says. His voice is low, but darkly serious.

Bruce's eyes widen, blinking a few times. "You… What?"

Tony leans in again, grabbing his wrists and pressing lips to his left ear again. " _Please_." His request is guttural and needy and he slides Bruce's hands up and over his torso to make his desire all the more clear.

Bruce isn't sure at first why or how it got to this point, but as he gives in to Tony's desire he realizes the significance of this invitation. Tony is giving the final piece of himself to him. It's not only a promise that Tony trusts him with everything; it's Tony's way of making it known without words that he _wants_ Bruce in every painfully open and vulnerable way possible, _needs_ him.

So as he touches it for the first time in such an intimate way, with the foresight it won't be the last, he does so with all the gentility he's ever worked hard in his life to possess – as if it's all been leading to this moment. And he mutters a silent, hopeful, desperate plea that he'll never smash the heart that beats just beneath the surface.


	16. Weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little Steve POV of a Tony/Bruce moment.

"He's really shaken up," Steve warned Tony in a low voice. Tony had been in medical for a few hours before getting the all clear and Steve wanted to intercept him before he could join the rest of the team on the bridge for debrief. They'd had a rather disastrous battle against Doom, whose sentinel of bots were underestimated by the haughty engineer – leading to quite a harry experience for the Iron Man.

They hung back just outside the door to the bridge, Tony straining to see past Steve and get a good look at the physicist Tony knew the Captain was referring to without any need for elaboration. Steve looked back over his shoulder at the other man. Bruce was sitting at the far end of the conference table, away from Clint, Natasha and Thor who were seated at the other end. He was already wearing the change of clothes he had kept in his and Tony's barrack should the Hulk be needed for the mission (he had been).

His arms were folded tightly against his thick sweater, as if he wanted to disappear into the over sized article of clothing for good. His brown eyes were weary and distant and Steve could only imagine the agonizing thoughts that were cause for that look. He hadn't seen Tony since coming back down from his transformation which was a rarity as Tony was almost always there beside him when he woke up again. He hadn't been allowed to see Tony in medical either. It was something Steve wasn't entirely sure he agreed with, but Bruce had pessimistically accepted his fate as if it were inevitable: why should they trust _him_ to remain stable in the presence of his injured significant other?

"God, why didn't they just let him see me? It was fine. They told him I was fine, right?" Tony shook his head bitterly.

"You were unconscious for an hour, Tony," Steve said with a slight frown. "And you were in and out for a while after that. You're pretty beat up and they had to stabilize your core. It was- We were all worried about you. They couldn’t just tell him you were fine until they knew for sure. When they told us you were, he just sort of sighed in relief and then folded in on himself. Like I said, still shaken up."

"Bruce," Tony whispered, pain in his expression and tone that Steve knew had nothing to do with his injuries. Steve followed closely behind as the billionaire took quick strides onto the bridge and over to his beloved physicist's side, scooting his own chair as close as could be, sitting on the edge of it, and taking Bruce's wrists gently into hand.

"Tony?" Bruce's cracked voice was just as distant as his eyes - which were, as Steve could see from where he stood, slowly coming into focus on Tony's face. "Oh god, Tony," Bruce breathed the words in utter relief. His sigh from earlier at hearing Tony was fine was just a facsimile in comparison to the very clear relief that washed over the doctor at _seeing_ Tony was fine. Bruce folded over in his chair, his head resting against the hands still holding his wrists. His head shook as if he almost still didn't believe it and a few silent sobs were made known only by the tremor of his shoulders.

Steve gave pointed looks to the agents that had stopped what they were doing to watch on curiously. They quickly got the message and returned to their duties. It was enough for Tony and Bruce to allow the team to see them this intimately, this vulnerable. If they _weren't_ so vulnerable at the moment, and thus oblivious to anything other than the two of them, he knew they would have both gone out of their ways to avoid a scene on the bridge in front of a couple dozen SHIELD agents – or at least Bruce would have since too many of them already shied away from him when he showed any barest hint of natural emotion.

But as far as Steve was concerned, this display wasn't a sign of being lesser men. He knew all too well from his own experiences that it was merely proof of how strong their love for each other really was. Steve believed wholeheartedly that this kind of strength could never be weakness. 


	17. Tears

"I think you should read his full file," Natasha had said to him out of the blue one day. Tony had merely frowned at her vague spy-ness. "SHIELD has the only full copy. It's classified of course, but if you're serious about this - well, whatever it is you're trying for with him - I think you need to know the full extent of what that entails."

"You're asking me to read Bruce's full file? Does he know this?" Tony had asked with a suspicious arch of his brow.

She had shrugged. "He would never voluntarily allow you to see that part of his past and for good reason. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't know about it. It's horrible and I wouldn't ask you to do it at all if I had any doubts about your feelings for him. But this is something he's lived with. This is the reason why he runs. I know you. You hate his anxiety and his flight-risk. The idea that he'll up and leave without warning or at the slightest threat? It hurts you, whether or not you'll ever admit it. But he'll never open up and explain why on his own."

She had then pushed the nondescript, unlabeled flash drive towards him and added, humorlessly, "They're just a copy. Once opened, the files will eventually self destruct with a virus to wipe them and it will infect your system if you try copying them beforehand. But I don't think you'll want copies once you see for yourself. Oh, and Stark. Killing Ross isn't an option. Clint and I have already asked."

Tony had been torn for days on what to do with the flash drive. He hadn't wanted to betray Bruce's trust in such a major way because heaven knew he was actually trying for once to be someone worth being in a relationship with and Bruce had had so many people betray his trust in the past. And, yet, curiosity was one of his more serious character defects. He couldn't help himself more often than not. And Natasha had made it seem gravely important. Not to mention she had added the hint that it involved Ross and would give him insight into how deeply the bastard had hurt the man he was falling harder and harder for to the point of no return. If it would explain why Bruce was afraid to truly settle down in one place…

Which was how he found himself on the floor of his workshop, actual tears streaming down his face, as the details of Bruce's torture sank like a millstone in his stomach threatening to pull him under with the weight.

 _Stark men don't cry_ , came the internalized and harsh reprimand of yesteryear.

"Fuck you," he growled in response. Because this… if there was anything ever worth crying over, damn it all, it was _this._

It was a miracle, even with the Hulk's abilities, that Bruce had even survived, that he'd ever made it to that fateful day in New York or to _him._ He would thank the Hulk himself for somehow keeping Bruce alive if he knew it wouldn't just upset the other guy. Or maybe he would just give a vague thank you.

And he wasn't going to stubbornly fight back his tears. Not this time. If his father was somewhere rolling in his grave, then it served him right for being so cruel as to not even grant him the right to cry in the face of such human depravity. Howard didn't deserve to rest in peace if he would have ever agreed with this kind of treatment of a man, but then again he _had_ co-founded the SSR. So he had a strong hope in spite of himself that Howard would have surprised him if he were there with him in the room.

And that's when he realized somebody _was_ in the room with him. His senses tingled and he quickly turned to see the somber face of the man who had survived and somehow come out on the other side kinder than before when he would have had every reason in the world to say "fuck it" and let the Hulk become a mindless beast.

"Bruce," Tony choked out, fresh tears escaping at the very sight of him. His memory of what he'd read and seen and his guilt for having betrayed his trust mixed together and he couldn't face him. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have," he said, eyes closed, head shaking. "I shouldn’t have looked."

Bruce was at his side quickly, sat on his knees and pulling Tony against his chest. Even now, Tony thought, Bruce was the one forgiving him and comforting him when he had no reason to do either save maybe love. And, yes, Tony could admit it now in the face of knowing what he might have lost before he'd ever had the chance to find it. He loved Bruce and wanted to be loved by Bruce.

"It's okay, Tony," Bruce said, voice low and calm as ever. "I'm… Well, I'm not glad that you saw, but that's why Natasha gave you the file," he explained, Tony craning his neck slightly in confusion. "She told me that I needed to share that with you. She said you deserved to know. I- I didn't agree… Or I couldn't agree because it was awful and I never wanted you to know. But Fury agreed and convinced me. I'm sorry. I wish I could have been the one to tell you, but I couldn't. This was the only way." Then Bruce moved Tony's head a little so their eyes could meet and Tony saw the confusion that marked the other's. "Wait. Didn’t Natasha tell you this was okay with me?"

Tony saw the confusion turn to anger as the realization finally settled in. "Hey, hey, it's fine. She probably had her reasons," he quickly insisted and moved so that they could share a collective embrace. "I felt guilty, yeah, but I still went through with it. Maybe it was a test of my loyalty and I failed miserably," he answered with a slight shrug of one shoulder. "I'll probably fail a lot. I'm sorry in advance. But please, whatever you do, please don't leave me unless you have to. And, you know what, no, not that either. I don't care if Ross comes knocking. If you want to run, I'm going with you this time. Got it? I'm not letting him get his hands on you again, but more importantly I'm not letting you go."

"Tony…" Bruce's voice was fragile and full of warning. In that one little whisper of his name, Tony could hear the unspoken: Don't get too close. I can't promise you I won't hurt you. You can't trust me. But Tony was nothing if not good at ignoring warnings.

"I mean it, Bruce. I love you. I'm sorry it had to take this to make me realize how much, but maybe it had to be this way. Maybe that was the point of all this. Natasha's pretty perceptive after all. But, god, Bruce, I _mean_ it. I love you and I'm not losing you. Unless, you know, the feeling isn't mutual. But even then I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe. I… I'm pretty sure this is practically a 'for better or worse' deal. Because I'll even take the worse if it means not losing you."

Howard Stark was probably _really_ rolling in his grave now, Tony thought. But if he was, the engineer would give a hearty "fuck you" to that too. Because this was important. The need for messy words and emotions was just a blip on the radar in comparison to his need to make Bruce understand all these things he was once so sure he could never truly feel. Bruce was the everything Yinsen would have been happy to know existed in Tony's life had only he'd known him then. But he knew him now and he wasn't going to let anything take that away, not even his own issues.

"I love you too, Tony," Bruce finally whispered, his tears falling now. "I wouldn’t have let… I would have said no…" he didn't need to elaborate, "…if I didn't love you. I do, Tony. But I don't deserve-"

Tony silenced him with a salty kiss and then brushed away some of Bruce's lingering tears. "I don't deserve a lot of things either, Bruce. You especially. But I'm selfish enough to take them anyway. So let's be selfish together."

"Okay," Bruce whispered and their lips met again.

Neither man was truly undeserving of one another, or even selfish in their love, but they could figure that out in time. Right now, all that mattered to Tony was that Bruce was in his arms, he was safe. A few more tears fell in relief.


	18. Speed

"Boost the thrusters, J!" Tony shouts as he soars through the sky.

_Sir, you are already nearing the uppermost limits. You may short circuit the suit if-_

"Don't care, just get me there!"

The AI complies and Tony flies faster than ever until at last he spots the place where the Hulkbusters have lured the Hulk. He's already been shot with several tranquilizers and Ross' men are beating him needlessly as he transforms back down to Bruce, eyes straining to stay open and arms too weak to fight against his oppressors.

"Son of a bitch!" Tony growls as he comes in close enough just in time to see Bruce's prone body lying on the ground, still being relentlessly kicked and battered. "JARVIS, give me a distraction."

The AI takes the request to sentient heart, blasting a high-frequency wavelength that sends Bruce's attackers to their knees, hands clasped to their ears.

"Fuck!" Tony winces. "But okay that works. Alert SHIELD that I've got him and he needs medical."

With that, Tony lands, scoops Bruce into his arms, and takes off again before the soldiers can stop him.

"And alert SHIELD of the coordinates where they can intercept Ross' team."

Tony then looks down at Bruce's face, a pained expression etched there in spite of his unconsciousness, and curses General Ross' existence, curses that he allowed it to get this far, curses that Bruce will be worried again after this, curses every single fucking thing that haunts this man.

And then he curses himself for not realizing the extent of his feelings for his friend before this moment.

"A little faster, J," Tony says, wanting to get Bruce to safety as quickly as he can. And then adds, a little more softly, "Don't stay asleep too long, Bruce. I have something I need to tell you."


	19. Wind

"I don't think this is a good idea," Bruce says as he stands on the balcony of Tony's apartment, hugging his sweater clad arms.

How had he been talked into this? How does Tony _always_ talk him into things?

_Come live at Stark Tower._

_Come work for Stark Industries._

_Let the Hulk out to play every now and then._

_My parties aren't that bad, you'll have a great time._

_Help me prank S.H.I.E.L.D._

_Do drunk science with me._

_Do not drunk, but still completely dangerous and questionable science with me._

_Let me take you for a ride in the suit..._

"Bad idea, Tony," he reiterates as Tony lands on the balcony. "I... I don't even know why you'd want to do this."

Tony's faceplate comes up and he's wearing that annoyingly charming smile that Bruce is pretty sure is how he ends up talked into these things. It's like the equivalent of being charmed by a snake until it's too late and you've been swallowed whole. Or in this case you're standing on a balcony while Iron Man saunters toward you, hypnotizing you into letting him literally sweep you off your feet even though open air and adrenaline rushes are probably the last thing you need when you're housing a big, green monster that you're fairly certain detests that sort of thing.

" _Very_ bad idea," Bruce emphasizes it and pushes back a little, hands out in defense - his last, very likely futile defense.

"There are no bad ideas. Only great ideas that go horribly wrong."

Bruce blinks as his feet stutter slightly. "I don't think quoting Jack Donaghy is going to make me feel better."

And, honestly, binge watching television shows he'd missed is another one of those things that Tony constantly talks him into. An unnecessary television addiction is now another thing he can blame on the eccentric billionaire. But that's a far cry from allowing the possibility of the Hulk plummeting to the ground and destroying whoever or whatever in the process...

"Do you trust me?" Tony's words break through his premature panic attack.

Bruce blinks again. "So you're Aladdin now?"

Tony's smile is far too wide, far too genuine and for a moment Bruce wonders if he _isn't_ the equivalent of some princess that Tony is intent on rescuing. He pushes that thought out as soon as it forms.

"I can show you the world, Bruce," he says, still smiling and eyes sparkling with laughter. The crinkle around the corners when he's truly happy disarms Bruce every single time and the physicist sighs.

"I've seen the world, thanks." Against all of the best arguments still forming in his head, he takes a step back toward the engineer in surrender anyway.

"But not with me," Tony says, not missing a beat and without any hesitation in his response.

And Bruce must have nodded or said yes or confessed his convoluted feelings or _something_ because the next thing he knows, he's wrapped tightly in metal arms and feeling the rush of wind and adrenaline that comes with a straight ascent up into the air. It's less awkward than he'd imagined it would be, his own arms clutching around broad, metal shoulders. And it feels distinctly different than free fall. The rise in his stomach is more pleasant than the usual drop.

The wind is harsh though and cold. Tony had warned him, but now he thinks they both underestimated how much and he shivers in his sweater and wants to press his face into Tony's neck to block it out. Instead, he braces against it almost defiantly. It makes a mess of his hair and lashes at his eyes and cheeks, but so far the Other Guy doesn't seem to object so maybe there's something to be said for letting the wind have its way.

"Is this the part where we start singing to each other?" Tony's voice is tinny and somehow so very close in spite of the suit between them. Bruce can hear the laughter in the question and can easily imagine the smirk that he can't see.

"Well-" He swallows hard against the wind; belting out a romantic duet wouldn't even be realistic while flying in open air he suddenly realizes. "You can serenade me if you want, but I'm not joining you for a duet," he squeezes out the words loudly to be heard over the wind. This time there is an audible, tinny laugh. "How fast are we going?" He then asks.

Because, honestly, he can't tell. He doesn't think it's fast enough to keep his heart in his throat - which is a very good thing - and he's sure he's seen Tony go much faster. But at the same time, there's a strange sense of nothing that makes it hard to gauge. The only thing firm and certain is Tony. The only thing keeping him from falling is Tony. He could be otherwise weightless, suspended in midair for all he can tell.

"Not very," Tony answers as they start what Bruce takes a few moments to register as a descent. "It's not really in good form to subject your date to mach speeds when all he's wearing is a sweater," Tony says so casually that Bruce isn't sure it's not something he simply imagined.

He's suddenly on the ground again, Tony's faceplate up and the engineer's face looking at him with a strange mixture of smug pleasure and honest-to-God tentativeness. Bruce, flabbergasted, steps away from him and then looks around at where they've landed and... Yeah, the eclectic arts festival he mentioned in passing a week ago, filled to the brim with couples and romantic activities not unlike the _soulmate marking?_ exhibit a few feet away does kind of scream, "This is a date!"

But he has to ask just to be sure. "This is... a date?"

His hand then moves self-consciously to his wind-ravaged curls. He's not exactly making for a very attractive date at the moment if that's what this is and... God, he wants it to be that. He still thinks his feelings might be convoluted, but they're real and filled with longing. And if there's any chance Tony wants this too...

"I, uh, would really _like_ it to be a date," Tony answers him with an earnest shrug as he steps from the disassembling suit.

Bruce suddenly feels like he's back in the air again, flying and wind-rushed. Only, his heart is beating a lot faster than it had been then. Dangerously fast even. But the Other Guy still doesn't seem to mind.

"I..." Bruce smiles softly, genuinely, maybe even a little lopsidedly like a dorky teenager. "I would really like that too."

So that's what it's allowed to be and to his relief Tony is genuinely happy with that answer and, unless he's too disillusioned by his own euphoria, happy with _him_. Because the other man wastes no time in claiming his lips like he's been longing for them for ages, stealing kisses throughout the day at any given moment, and linking their hands so that anyone and everyone - even paparazzi, Bruce only allows himself to think once - who happens to pay attention can see that they're together. _Together_. It's thrilling and probably not too far off from that cheesy notion of being in a whole new world.

And as they fly back to the tower, it dawns on Bruce why it is that Tony can talk him into these things. He's like the wind. A force of nature that can be harsh and unforgiving and cold and aloof and unpredictable. But also a force of nature that gives flight, offers relief on a hot day, has the ability to change a landscape or bring poorly engineered walls to the ground, and steal one's breath away.

Tony is the wind and maybe there's something to be said for letting the wind have its way.


	20. Freedom

Maybe the line between freedom and subjugation was thinner and more subtle than even Loki could have predicted. Or maybe Bruce Banner's head was also a bag full of cats.

Bruce had spent most of his life trying to find freedom from one thing or another. Freedom from his father. Freedom from his past. Freedom from the Other Guy. Freedom from the government that wanted him for research.  _Freedom._

So it had been crazy to let Stark talk him into staying after the Battle of New York. He could have run. He could have had freedom.

It had been crazy to join a team, make friends. He could have run. He could have had freedom.

It had been crazy to feel things for the most unavailable man in the world. He could have run. He could have had freedom.

It had been crazy to accept the advances of said most unavailable - or apparently not-so-unavailable-after-all - man in the world. He could have run. He could have had freedom.

It had been crazy to fall in love with Tony Stark when he seriously _could_ have just run. He _could_ have had freedom.

But it would be a madness that could rival Loki's if he allowed himself to answer those four words, with their threat of a future bound to another.

He could still run. He could still have freedom. 

Or he could be crazy. Why stop now?

Maybe freedom was overrated after all. And there were certainly worse ways one could be subjugated. And Tony had to be just as crazy if he'd even ask him of all people...right?

Bruce tilted his head. Somewhere the God of Mischief must be feeling pretty smug, he mused for a brief moment.

"Yes, I'll marry you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol I don't actually equate marriage with subjugation or think Tony would treat him like he was a prisoner. Just playing with the bound in matrimony vs. freedom thing and how Bruce might overreact to the idea of it.


	21. Life

"You ever think about life?" Tony asked casually as he and Bruce sat at the bar, turned toward each other and engaged in an off and on game of footsie.

"That question doesn't make sense," Bruce answered.

"No?"

Bruce tilted his head and then pointed like a professor trying to explain something to his pupils. "Well, we're alive right? At least, I assume we are and that this isn't some man's dream. But if we're alive then all of our thoughts are about..." He gestured to everything in a sweeping motion, "...life. Generally speaking."

Tony blinked several times and then stared down at his mostly empty drink. "I... think you just broke... everything." He raised the glass to his mouth gracelessly, his voice sounding a little amplified as he said, "I never thought of it that way before."

"Ah, but that doesn't matter either." Bruce shook his head, smiling like a kid that knew a secret. "The how of your previous thought patterns didn't negate the end result. Just because you didn't think about how all thoughts are thoughts about life doesn't mean those thoughts you did have weren't thoughts about life."

Tony plugged his ears and whined. "Stop, Brucey, _please_. I can't handle this. I need to go blow something up and stop thinking about life."

Bruce frowned, looking genuinely worried. "No, babe, don't blow yourself up. I love you."

"I didn't say that- _You do?_ " Tony's eyes lit up as if it was a revelation. 

Bruce nodded, head wobbly in the motion. He hummed slightly and then continued on his philosophical tangent, "But if death is the only way not to think about life anymore then it's a logical hypothesis that you meant blowing up yourself." He frowned again at Tony, brown eyes glassy and still tinged with worry for the other man's safety.

Tony furrowed his brow, looking thoughtful for a long moment. "Damn, you're right." He nodded. "But, hey, if I actually was thinking about blowing myself up then wasn't I also using my thoughts about life to think about death?"

Bruce's eyes widened, looking suddenly frenzied. "Oh my god, _Tony_." He tugged a little at the engineer's sleeve. "Tony, I don't know! Is... Is this how Schrödinger felt? Is it!? Tony, what if we're all cats!?"

"Huh. That explains why I always feel like purring at you. And here I thought it was because you're a sexy beast." Tony attempted to leer, but mostly just managed to brush his nose awkwardly against Bruce's cheek.

"I am both of those things," Bruce said uncharacteristically, holding up a finger. "But never am I both of those things at the same time." He paused. "But, Tony, _are_ we cats?"

Tony closed one eye, clearly considering the question. "I don't think so?" He didn't seem too sure.

"But we could be?" Bruce shrugged with open palms held upward.

"Then let's have sex." Tony beamed as if pleased by his stroke of genius.

"God, Tony, you can't just tell people to have sex with you," Bruce admonished.

Tony pouted. "Why not?"

"Because sex is not the answer," Bruce answered matter-of-factly as he looked into his empty glass as if confused by its emptiness.

"No, it's a question and the answer is always yes." Tony outright giggled.

Bruce gave Tony a very serious look and his tone was more somber than it had yet been. "But we could be cats."

Tony opened and closed his mouth a few times. He wore a very comptemplative expression. Finally he asked, in a tone that suggested he really didn't know the answer, "Do cats have sex?"

Bruce's eyes widened immediately and then a smile spread across his face right before he practically lunged tongue-first at Tony. They made out sloppily, practically falling from their bar seats. They stumbled slowly towards the elevator, both moaning obscenely, and a little ridiculously, at regular intervals. They eventually reached their destination and disappeared inside, leaving four varying expressions behind them.

"Uh... Maybe we should make sure they're okay," Steve said first, clearly uncomfortable. "Usually I'd say Bruce could handle this, but..."

"Yes, it would seem Asgardian mead has had an effect on Dr. Banner after all," Thor agreed, wearing a pleased smile.

"Bets that Tony still blows something up?" Natasha asked with a slight tilt of her head as she took a sip of her drink.

There was silence for a moment, no one seeming to know what they should do, if anything, until Clint broke it with a loud, "But what the fuck did cats have to do with anything?"


	22. Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hand kinkish with a touch of smuttiness at the end of this one.

"He's doing it again," Natasha murmured to Clint and Steve when they joined her at the table.

The two immediately turned their gazes to where Tony was 'helping' Bruce fix the team dinner and by helping, he was really just standing sort of dazed against one side of the island, eyes transfixed on Bruce's hands as he prepared the meal.

"How does Bruce not even notice?" Steve whispered in disbelief. Natasha shrugged.

"I still can't tell if it's just a general hand kink or if it's because it's Bruce's hands," Clint added to the conversation and the other two looked at him strangely.

"I'm pretty sure it's just because it's Bruce," Natasha said drily. "I've never seen him look at any of our hands like he wants to-"

"Stop now, thank you," Steve warned.

Suddenly Tony made a strangled noise that even they could hear and they watched as Bruce turned and looked in confusion at the engineer.

"You okay?" Bruce queried.

"Uh, yep, yep, just... Forgot how to..." Tony looked down quickly at the task he'd forgotten all about in his daze.

"Make a salad?" Bruce raised his eyebrows.

"Embarrassing, right?"

"Oh it's embarrassing alright," Natasha muttered under her breath and Clint sniggered, Steve having the decency to remain impassive.

"No, no, I can see how it could be," Bruce's face quivered against a laugh and he coughed a little, "difficult."

Then he did laugh for a moment before moving to Tony's side to help him make the salad. The other three attempted not to groan audibly as the physicist raised his hands animatedly and then demonstrated how to toss a salad, the engineer's eyes dilating slightly before clearly turning it into an excuse for it to be a hands on demonstration.

"Okay, if they don't get together soon, I'm moving back to Brooklyn," Steve muttered in exasperation.

"I'll split the rent if you take me with you," Clint said in agreement.

Natasha shrugged. "At the rate they're going, I give it another week tops." 

~

Tony stood in the middle of the S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ conference room with several computer screens scattered around him as he animatedly attempted to break down the complicated science of their next mission to the listening Avengers and tactical team that would be accompanying them.

Suddenly Natasha nudged Steve, who nudged Clint upon seeing what Natasha was gesturing to, who also looked to see Bruce watching Tony's hands move with ease through the screens, fingers pointing and scrolling, before he moved them to gesticulate more broadly to the group. The physicist was mesmerized, eyes dark and lips quirking up just a little deviously that it didn't take too much imagination for the other three Avengers to guess what he was fantasizing about.

Natasha looked back at Steve and Clint with a roll of her eyes.

"He's just as bad as Stark," Clint hissed as low as he could manage, head shaking.

"How does _he_ not even see it?" Steve murmured dubiously. "He does the same thing; you would think-"

"Seriously?" Tony interrupted loudly. "Is nobody getting this?" The genius fixed his eyes on his whispering teammates and shrugged. "Anybody? It's really not that difficult. And, honestly, it's about as dumb as I can down it at this point." He sighed in exasperation and then rolled his head to look at Bruce. "Help me out here?" 

"I thought you were doing a fantastic job, really," Bruce complimented him and the other three watched as Tony's face lit up at that. "But, yeah, it's really not that difficult," the physicist agreed as he stood from his seat and moved to help with the explanation.

Clint's head fell back on his shoulders as Tony and Bruce began explaining in tandem, their hands moving back and forth and all around and brushing often all while they each reacted minutely to the other man's hand in tell-tale ways. Steve turned and fixed Natasha with wide, disbelieving eyes and shook his head slowly. She simply shrugged; it hadn't been a week yet.

~

Clint came into the shared lab, ready to mention a possible problem with his new arrowheads, only to stop in his tracks and watch the absolutely embarrassing scene taking place instead.

When Tony wasn't looking, Bruce stared with open faced lust at the engineer as he tested his new gauntlets; Tony flexed his fingers and made fists in mannerisms that even Clint had to admit looked a lot like he was giving an an imaginary handjob. Then, Tony would turn to look at Bruce who would duck his head rather conspicuously and return to his work. 

As if that wasn't enough, Tony would wait until he was sure Bruce wasn't watching him anymore and then glance back to stare - with the most predatory bedroom eyes Clint had seen in awhile if he were being honest - as Bruce's steady hands worked with his samples and other lab equipment that Clint really didn't know the names of even if he could tell Bruce knew what he was doing, probably better than most. Then, Bruce would look up at Tony and rather than duck his head the billionaire would just give him a goofy sort of smile before returning to his own work.

Neither man seemed to acknowledge his presence so eventually he just left to rejoin Steve and Natasha in the training room.

"Let me guess," Natasha said, reading his expression immediately. "The hands thing again?"

"Yeah. It was just ridiculous. They were both ogling each other so hard I'm surprised they just didn't figure it out and go at it right there."

"It's just occurred to me," Steve said from across the room, "we want them to get together to stop this insanity... But, you know, it'll probably just get worse."

"Oh, it will," Natasha said with a snort. "Tony will probably be especially obnoxious about how he's sleeping with Bruce."

"As long as they're happy I guess," Clint offered, the grimace on his face giving away that it wasn't a scenario he was particularly looking forward to. "And rather that than them being grossly oblivious 24/7."

"That's true," Steve agreed.

"It's been almost a week," Natasha said then with a slight quirk of her lips.

~

Bruce moaned, head falling back a little on his shoulders as Tony's hand squeezed his quickly growing bulge. At that, Tony moved his mouth back up from Bruce's neck and used his free hand to thread through Bruce's curls and bring their lips back together. His other hand made work of undoing Bruce's pants only to then snake down into the tight space and squeeze again.

Bruce made a strangled sound that was an odd mix of a whimper and a growl, a sound only Tony had ever elicited or heard from the man, and he broke away from Tony's kiss. "You've been teasing me all damn day. Get on with it," he said, breathing heavily.

"Like you haven't been doing the same th-" Tony's breath hitched and voice died in his throat when Bruce reached down and reciprocated the teasing gesture. "Somebody's impatient," he managed, but his voice was cracked.

"As if you're not," Bruce replied with a husky chuckle that melted into a husky moan as Tony removed his pants deftly and immediately enclosed a fist around his desperate cock.

"Think the others have figured it out yet?" Tony murmured the question into his ear before leaving open-mouthed kisses and nibbles there.

"Ahh... nope, no, I..." Bruce attempted to answer amidst his pleasure, but failing to do so coherently.

Tony hummed his agreement against Bruce's jaw. "No need to spoil their little guessing game then. I bet they secretly get off on wondering when we'll get with the program."

"You- just... _fuck_. Like turning me on in front..." It was a lost cause to finish his statement.

"Still playing innocent, I see." Tony smiled just as innocently against Bruce's lips as his hand quickly moved from Bruce's cock to squeeze his ass.

Bruce's eyes widened. "Okay, okay," he panted. "I do it too."

Tony's smile broadened. "Thought so," he said before squeezing again and swallowing Bruce's groan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm ace* and fail at figuring out how to truly describe the nitty-gritty details of sexual encounters of any kind and rarely rarely rarely write them (or at least publish when I do try) so yeah. Sorry.
> 
> *Not to say there aren't fantastic asexual smut writers, btw. Only to say that it personally hinders _me_ in that respect.


	23. Jealousy

Tony watched Bruce tentatively as he scrolled through the rag website on a Starkpad Tony had handed him. Every now and then he hummed in response as he took a drink of his tea, but Tony couldn't read Bruce's emotion; his face remained impassive save the cute little pout he sometimes made when reading. And it probably wasn't the time to be thinking about how cute the man could be when he very well might be masking seething anger underneath it; well, more than usual anyway and more specifically directed at _him_.

Finally, Bruce set the Starkpad down flat on the dinette and pushed it back toward Tony. "Horribly written," he said before taking a bite of his bagel and then skimming his eyes back over the open crossword book that Tony had picked up for him on a whim one day.

"That's it?" Tony eyed him skeptically.

Bruce's hand was on his pencil to start working on the unfinished puzzle again, but he looked up at Tony with an equally skeptic expression. "Um, yes? I mean, the pictures aren't very good either. She should have hired a better photographer. But they aren't awful. There's a good one of your ass at least."

Tony's forehead creased and he quickly looked back down at one of the photos, wincing as his eyes landed on the tacky photo of himself being accosted by a young woman at the Stark Industries event the night before. He'd tried his hardest to get out of it since Bruce couldn't come along - it was a miracle Bruce had ever started coming along at all so he respected when Bruce knew he wasn't in the mood to risk it. Now he really wished he'd managed to get out of it or that Bruce could have come. There were several similar out of context photos as the woman had thoroughly managed the appearance of making out with Tony before security had swooped in.

He looked back up at the other man, still confused, as Bruce nonchalantly bit the end of his pencil and studied his puzzle before going to write in a word. Tony had woken up that morning, determined to tell Bruce the truth up front. Although Bruce certainly didn't pay attention to gossip sites or tabloids, he'd felt it was just the right thing to do. He'd made up his mind a long time ago not to keep secrets in their relationship and he didn't want to risk Bruce finding out and thinking he had kept it from him. He had been worried as to how Bruce would react as soon as the woman's lips were on his own. Nonplussed was never one of the reactions that had entered his mind.

"You're not even a little angry?" He finally had to ask. 

"Oh, I'm furious." Bruce didn't even bother to look up, but Tony felt relief rush through him. Which, if he were really considering it, was a strange reaction and not only because Bruce could turn into the Other Guy. Still, Bruce _should_ be angry about this. "That woman assaulted you. It's a good thing I wasn't there."

Tony's previous relief was suddenly marked with more confusion. "Wait. That's the reason? You're mad that some woman kissed me without my consent?"

Bruce looked up again finally, face quirking into a strange expression. "What else reason is there?"

Tony's mouth fell open for a moment and then closed. He was pretty sure the appropriate response in these situations was jealousy. Maybe not the creepy significant other, 'touch him and die' kind of jealousy, but at least a healthy amount of jealousy. If Bruce wasn't jealous, did he not really care as much as Tony thought he did? He'd been expecting him to worry about his faithfulness like the rest of the world would.

"Well, jealousy comes to mind," Tony finally answered.

Bruce gave a silent 'oh' and then shrugged. He then seemed to consider it for a moment. "Did you kiss her back? Did you enjoy it? Did you show me the article because it's true and you wanted to use it as a means of breaking off our relationship?" Bruce stared at him intently then and for a moment Tony wished he hadn't pushed.     

"No, of course not," he said defensively, hurt that Bruce could entertain those questions in the first place even if the logical side of his brain told him that these were exactly the kind of conclusions he'd been expecting Bruce to jump to. "How could you even think any of that?" He asked with the illogical side of his brain anyhow. 

Bruce smiled thinly. "I didn't. Which is why I'm not jealous." Oh, he was good.

"But to be clear you would be jealous if any of those possibilities were true," Tony said then, because he didn't know when to quit apparently. He briefly wondered why his ego was so hung up on the need for Bruce to be a little jealous or worried when he _didn't_ want him to worry, when none of it was true anyway. 

Bruce sighed and removed his glasses. "Is this what last night was about?"

Tony hadn't been expecting that question. "I just wanted you to know how much I want you and nobody else before any of this came out. Just... Just in case you doubted me or believed the stories that I've moved on." Which is why he'd come home and made sure that Bruce knew he was in the mood for making love, and really it hadn't been a lie, and not just having sex for the sake of sex. 

Bruce gave another small smile. "And I appreciate that," he said, putting his glasses back on. "Just like I appreciate you showing me the article. It's one of the reasons I trust you."

Tony blinked hard as Bruce went back to his crossword puzzle. "Most of the world would say you're just fooling yourself, you know that, right? They'd say you're crazy to trust me." Tony Stark wasn't a man you trusted. He didn't even always trust himself as often as he'd heard the rhetoric. 

At this Bruce closed the crossword book entirely, set aside the pencil and fixed him with a meaningful gaze. "Most of the world would say you were crazy to quit manufacturing weapons because of what they figured was just PTSD. Most of the world would say you're crazy to devote your time and resources to a team of superheroes. Most of the world would say _you're_ crazy to trust _me_. Do you think they're right?"

And just like that, Bruce had him again. "No," he admitted softly.

"Then I don't have anything to worry about. The world doesn't know you the way I do. If I ever have a reason to get jealous, I'll know it. And so will you. Let's not try and test that theory though, if it's all the same to you."

Tony smiled. It may have been underlined with humor, but he heard the earnestness in the request and he matched it with his own. They sat there for a few silent moments, just lingering in one another's gaze before Tony figured he might as well admit that he wasn't as noble as Bruce while he was at it.

"Hey, uh, you know, for the record if it was you... I'd probably be a little jealous."

Bruce laughed softly. "Yeah, well, the chances of something like that happening with me are so astronomical you'd have every reason to be suspicious." He shook his head at the idea.

Tony scoffed. "Uh, excuse me, but did you miss the part last night where I called you the most fucking gorgeous man I've ever seen? Do you need me to repeat it?" He looked at his watch-less wrist. "Because I've got plenty of time before I need to sign the paperwork for that girl's restraining order."

"Well, the world may have a bit of a point on your being a little crazy," Bruce said with a wry smile.

"Hm-mm. Not even a little," Tony argued, because there was no way he would let Bruce sit there and believe what the world or the voices in his head said about himself if he wouldn't let him do the same thing. He stood off the chair slightly and leaned across the dinette and cupped Bruce's chin. "You are gorgeous in so many ways and if anyone ever gets the nerve to do something about it... I'll trust you." He saw the grateful sparkle in Bruce's eye at the sentiment of being trusted right before he brought their lips together.


	24. Taste

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a powerful need to write Bruce/Tony as husbands being sappy and romantic so that's what this is. And somewhere along the lines I think it maybe turned itself into an implied no-powers au in my head? I decided to try and keep it nonspecific so I guess you can take it as you wish. They may or may not have powers, but they are definitely married and that's all that matters to me at the moment haha.

_Welcome home, Dr. Banner_ JARVIS intoned as Bruce entered the mansion after a day of working at the lab.

"Thank you, JARVIS," Bruce replied, feeling the tension fall from his shoulders immediately. He didn't often work in the labs at SI since Tony had added on a lab to their mansion, but he still had to oversee things from time to time. 

_Mr. Stark has asked me to inform you that dinner will be ready in the grand dining room in about thirty minutes if you wish to clean up before._

"Oh, he did?" Bruce smiled at that. At one time Tony had an aversion to cooking anything nonbasic without being finagled, and he still didn't take the initiative as often as Bruce did, but one of their wedding (gag) gifts had been a couples cooking course. So now sometimes he cooked when he knew Bruce would be tired or when it was a special occasion or when he simply had a whim - because Tony was certainly known for having whims. "Well, if you'll politely inform Mr. Stark that I'll do just that," he replied. 

_Yes, sir. He also regrets that he is too busy to greet you personally upon your arrival home, but hopes it will not negate you from wishing to kiss the cook_ JARVIS added as Bruce headed for the master bedroom. 

He shook his head in amusement. Tony flirting by way of JARVIS was definitely something that made their relationship unique. "Tell him I might be able to arrange it if the food's good enough. Thank you, JARVIS." 

Then Bruce set to cleaning up. He'd taken a shower that morning, so he rinsed off the general lab and chemical smell as best he could; no matter how often Tony insisted he could always smell it on him like a natural musk he still tried. He changed out of his slacks and into a worn pair of jeans and momentarily debated between changing out of his button up into a short sleeved t-shirt or sweater before nixing both and going for one of Tony's long sleeved t-shirts instead of one of his own just to see if the engineer would notice, seeing as the shirts were mostly indistinct. After that he glanced into the mirror and debated whether or not he felt like shaving his five o'clock shadow and decided he really didn't feel like it, no. Then he rounded it all out with a quick comb through his hair since it was generally a mess after absentmindedly running his fingers through it at regular intervals whenever he was in a lab. 

When this was all done, he had some time left so he laid down for ten minutes before deciding he'd probably not want to get back up again if he lounged any longer and, really, he was looking forward to Tony's dinner and just spending time with his husband in general; whole days apart were weird and, minus a mumbled farewell, Tony had still been asleep when he'd left in the morning. So, he went to the dining room a little bit early. When he got there, his eyes nearly bugged out and he realized why Tony had opted for the grand dining room. 

The room lights were dimmed so not to tamper with the ambiance of the lit candles. The stereo system was softly playing Italian music, giving him an obvious hint as to what might be on the menu. All but two chairs had been removed from the long table, two across from one another in the very center as opposed to on opposite ends (because that wouldn't be very romantic, he had to agree). The table itself was already set and there was a basket with bread sticks and a bowl with tossed salad. There was also a bucket of ice with wine that Bruce noted right away was from his favorite vineyard. True, he wasn't fond of alcohol as a rule of thumb nor did he have much taste for it on a regular basis, but wine was the one great exception. It was an age old art and something he'd grown to appreciate while traveling. 

He barely had time to take in the whole atmosphere of the room and muse to himself what had instigated this impromptu date night when there were familiar hands on his waist and a brush of lips on his neck. He closed his eyes as he relaxed into the intimate touch. 

"Missed you today, Mr. Stark," Tony murmured and Bruce smiled. Although they had mutually agreed to keep their own last names for professional reasons, Tony had playfully referred to him as Mr. Stark one day and Bruce had replied in turn by referring to him as Mr. Banner which had led to it turning into a playful thing between them at random times. 

"I can see that, Mr. Banner," he chuckled softly before turning in Tony's arms for a proper kiss. 

"And I can see I'm not the only one who missed somebody today," Tony added, smiling as he trailed his hands softly over Bruce's clothed torso. Of course, he noticed right away. He almost always did somehow. "You shouldn't have put this on," he tutted, shaking his head. His dark eyes were lit by the candles in the room. "Now we might not make it to dessert." 

"Three courser, huh? Well, you'll just have to try and control yourself." Bruce smirked and then turned to sit down at the table. 

Before he could on his own, Tony pushed in the chair for him, whispering against his ear as he did, "Four courses, actually." A pleasant chill went down his spine. 

As they ate their salads, they did the usual domestic thing couples do when they actually go to separate locations to work. That is, they asked one another about their day. Besides slaving over a hot stove, as Tony so teasingly put it, he had run some simulations on a hydroponics system they were working on together. Bruce had been waist deep in fresh hires and interns for his newest research team. Tony grimaced and pitied him. 

While Bruce poured the wine, Tony went to fetch the second course which turned out to be spaghetti aglio e olio. Bruce's eyes lit up as it was one of his favorite Italian dishes; simple, but delicious. He wondered a little at Tony's spoiling him so much all in one dinner, but he certainly didn't complain either. He just made a mental note to return the favor on their next date night. Conversation over dinner was light, since most of the interaction consisted of brushing fingertips across the table, smiles, lustful gazes, and the occasional feeding of one another. But since both men had been to Italy, they did share a few of their memories. Bruce's might have been classier, but Tony's were more amusing. Bruce liked the way they balanced one another. Newton would be proud. Bruce was still lost in that reverie regarding their relationship's dynamic when Tony went to get the dessert. 

"I have a confession," Tony said dramatically as he came back into the room. Bruce turned in confusion to look at him before his eyes landed on the box in his hands. "I didn't actually make the third course." 

"Wait, are those...?" Bruce's eyes sparkled hopefully as he looked up at Tony, who now stood beside him. 

"A box of those cannolis you absolutely love? Oh, I don't know. Maybe." Tony smiled, clearly pleased with himself, as he opened the box. 

"I'm beginning to suspect you're trying to..." Bruce's eyes fell on the envelope taped to the inside lid and he quirked his face. "...butter me up," he finished his previous thought as he reached for the envelope and Tony sat the box on the table. 

Bruce opened the envelope and pulled out passes and a brochure for a food and wine tasting tour in Tuscany. His eyes widened as he read the details of the passes. The tour was seven days long, booked for the following month, and would fall on the same week as their one year wedding anniversary. A smile spread across his face of its own volition and he glanced up at his still pleased-looking husband. 

"Happy early anniversary," Tony said. "Thought tonight could be a taste of what's to come. Good surprise?" Like he even had to ask. 

Bruce couldn't put away the passes and brochure fast enough to free his hands. "Damn good," he answered, standing to his feet and kissing him like he hadn't just had a spectacular dinner and was still ravenous - although he _was_ particularly ravenous for that fourth course. "Got anymore surprises up your sleeve?" He asked as he nibbled on Tony's jaw; it tasted like the oil from the pasta, he mused. 

"I might." He could feel the other man's lips turn up into a deviously twisted grin and heard the box of Italian desserts being closed.


	25. Devotion

Bruce furrows his brow at the unexpected sound that interrupts his attention to the movie. For a moment he wonders if he'd just imagined it, but then... Yeah, that's exactly what he thought it was.

He cranes his neck to look at Tony, seated cross legged near the edge of the bed with a bowl of popcorn in his lap while he himself lounges back against their pillows. If anyone could see the egomaniac of a genius billionaire they would laugh at how he looks far less 'too cool for school' and much more 'I'm a teenage girl engrossed by this sappy musical' and said teenage girl is definitely...

"Are you crying?" He finally asks out loud, bemused, once the musical number comes to an end. He doesn't mean to be insensitive, but it is a little unexpected to say the least.

"Huh? What? Uh, no, I'm just..." Tony immediately begins trying to deflect, but then clears his throat and shrugs. "You know, Olivia has a very lovely voice."

"Yeah, she does," Bruce agrees, but his tone is still uncertain and his eyes still narrowed. He sits up and moves until he's close enough to see Tony's face. The billionaire had definitely been crying and is side-eying him like he's nervous about something. "You okay?" Bruce asks, without judgment this time.

"Mmhmm, yeah. I'm fine." He answers a little too quickly for Bruce to believe him and so he places a hand on his shoulder. Bruce doesn't have to press the issue though because he feels Tony's muscles relax beneath his touch. "It just reminded me of..."

And then Tony turns his head and looks at him meaningfully, his eyes dark and vulnerable.

"Oh." It strikes him just exactly what it reminded the other man of.

"I thought you wouldn't come back," Tony says, voice a little broken.

Bruce drops his eyes and considers what he could possibly say to that other than the truth. He glances back up and shrugs slowly. "I didn't think I would either. I... I'm never going to run off like that again, but that doesn't mean I deserve this. Or you." He sighs and looks back at the movie, unable to keep his eyes on Tony. Hopelessly devoted Tony Stark. The world would laugh at that idea, but Bruce can't. It overwhelms his entire being. "You should have given up on me."

"You didn't listen to the song very well did you?" Bruce snaps his eyes back at Tony unable to stop himself - he can never look away from Tony for very long - and finds the other man's gaze now soft and intent. "It doesn't matter what I should have done, you know, _logically,_ " Tony hitches a shoulder and shakes his head as he says it. "I just knew I wanted you and I couldn't give that up. I couldn't give you up."

"The song says you're a fool, you know." Bruce points out even as his eyes begin to flutter closed, drawn into the gravitational pull of Tony's love for him; the love that had brought him back in the end because he couldn't escape it, didn't want to.

"Yeah." Tony nods, his own eyes half-lidded in shared anticipation. "But I think if we keep watching, the fool wins in the end."

"But doesn't the fool change to be with-" Tony swallows his hesitation with a warm and tender kiss and it occurs to him that the entire world _would_ say Tony changed for him, but he knows better.

He smiles against Tony's lips before deepening the kiss because he knows now that they were both just waiting for someone to give them what they really wanted. Tony was waiting for someone he could feel devoted to. Bruce was waiting for someone to offer him devotion. When they break apart he smiles again knowing they found it in each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The musical referenced is _Grease_ and the song number is "Hopelessly Devoted To You" by Olivia Newton-John.


	26. Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Started out as only slightly jokey (with the use of the word forever) and somehow spiraled into crack that really doesn't have much to do with the prompt anymore so... here have some fluffy ott crack (it's good for what ails you).

The first time it had happened, not long after the rest of the team had moved into the tower and were still adjusting, it had been so casual and unexpected that none of the other four knew how to react.

Bruce was sitting on the couch in the media room, watching Clint and Natasha attempting to teach Steve and Thor how to play Halo when Tony had joined them, flopping down beside the physicist. There was barely a beat of silence before the bomb dropped.

"You, me, and forever. What do you say?" Tony asked conversationally.

Eyes had widened and turned to look at them in disbelief.

"Yeah, sure," Bruce answered just as nonplussed.

"Uh, doc," Clint interjected dubiously, "I think you just accepted the worst proposal in the history of proposals."

"Hmm?" Bruce had only blinked at him for a moment before looking at Tony and then shrugging. "Yeah. I guess it was pretty awful."

"You seem to be taking this well," Natasha said suspiciously.

"Oh, well, you know." Bruce shrugged again. "He proposes a lot. You get used to it. Actually," he smiled and Tony returned it, "I kind of like it. It's kind of our thing."

After that, they seemed to realize what Bruce had meant. At random times, maybe once a day or once a week, or every other day, basically whenever he felt like it, Tony would casually ask Bruce to marry him and Bruce would respond just as casually.

There was the time at dinner when Tony had asked, "Hey, babe, you wanna pass me the salt... and marry me?"

They had gotten used to the nauseating terms of endearment by this point.

"Honey, the potatoes are salty enough... but yes," Bruce had responded.

Then there was the time Tony had just been passing through the lounge on his way to the communal kitchen and had stopped for a moment, looked down at where Bruce, Thor and Steve were sat discussing different political persuasions and said, "I think I wanna marry you."

"I'll call the judge after we're done talking," Bruce had replied nonchalantly. Tony had nodded and then continued his trek without further adieu.

There had actually been a few times when Bruce had been the one to propose, which the others thought was always an interesting change of pace especially since he was, surprisingly, a little more theatrical with his proposals; the team could only guess that he did it on purpose to amuse Tony...and then gagged playfully after they reached that conclusion.

Like the time Bruce had slinked, _actually slinked_ , over to the bar and leaned against it. "A man like you ever been proposed to, Mr. Stark?"

"Perhaps."

A raised eyebrow. "Ever said yes?"

A smirk. "Why don't you give it a shot and find out?"

Or when Bruce had asked JARVIS to remind him to propose to Tony on a specific date while Tony was in the room as well.

 _As you wish, sir. But it is unlikely his answer has changed since the last time, Dr. Banner,_ JARVIS had intoned with his usual brand of sentient sass.

There were of course those uncomfortable times like when they'd walked in on them making out in the communal kitchen just in time to hear:

"I'm gonna marry you so hard."

"No, I'm gonna marry _you_ so hard."

They hadn't stuck around to find out who won that particular power struggle, but Thor had shortly after mused aloud how it made little sense when marriage should be a mutual agreement inequitable to sex.

After a while, just like Bruce had also said, the team got used to it. In fact, they started adding commentary, mocking them by proposing to one another at random or to either of the two men for extra laughs, and even getting restless as to when maybe just maybe one of them would actually mean it - they were of two minds on that possibility: either it would end in disaster because the other would freak out and the other would be devastated or there would be an excessive wedding a la Stark that would probably still end in disaster.

So, honestly, everybody was anticipating the day it would finally escalate. Of course, as it was Tony and Bruce that escalation came in a way they hadn't expected.

They were all watching a movie in the media room, sans Tony because he had flown to L.A. a few days before on business, when an emergency call from Pepper had been patched through by JARVIS, redirecting the large screen.

"Bruce, I need you to remain calm," she said, and immediately they all knew it was bad news. "Tony is fine," she continued, but the rest of the team kept their eyes on the physicist's state. "It's just, there's been an accident." Bruce stood straight up at that, wringing his hands. "No, no. Like I said, he's fine. The doctor said he'll be okay. But he's in bad enough shape that he'll probably be in the hospital for a few days before they release him for bed rest. He's pretty heavily sedated right now, but you know how he hates hospitals. Thought you might want to be here when he wakes up. Do you think you can handle it?"

Bruce breathed out a clear sigh of relief and nodded. "I'll be fine. If you say he's okay. I just... need to be there with him."

"I'll go prep the jet," Clint said immediately and they didn't delay.

If the trip to L.A. in the Quinjet was somber and silent, their arrival at the hospital was anything but.

"I'm sorry, but none of you are allowed to go back there right now." The nurse said with a shake of her head when they asked for Tony Stark's room at the desk.

"Actually I--" Bruce started, but didn't get the chance to finish when the others started to protest.

"I would rethink that answer," Natasha said pointedly. "Trust me. Tony Stark is not an ordinary patient. He won't be okay with this when he wakes up."

"I realize you're the Avengers and the patient is Tony Stark, but you're not getting back there to see him," the nurse said unwaveringly, standing up from her seat behind the desk and coming around to face them head on.

"You don't even care that technically one of us is someone you don't want to make angry?" Clint asked with a cool edge and impassive face.

"Sir, are you threatening me with the Hulk?" The nurse looked at him with raised eyebrows and a no-nonsense expression before turning to stare at Bruce with a look that seemed to say, "Well?"

Bruce shook his head. "He's not." He gave Clint a look. "You're not." He then sighed. "Look, I reassure you I'm fine and there won't be any Hulk incidents. You just need to let me expl--"

"Even if he were awake," she cut him off, causing him to glower at her in a way that belied his previous reassurance. "Visiting hours are over. Only immediate family and designated next of kin are allowed back there now. Those are the rules."

"Which is exactly why you should let people finish," Bruce replied in the dangerously even tone that the others knew meant he was forcing himself to remain calm in the face of aggravation. "He's my husband. So I'm _not_ going to ask you again."

The others' expressions were so stunned by his claim that when the nurse went to look at them for confirmation, they didn't do him any favors and she then turned a skeptical eye back towards Bruce. Still looking at him suspiciously, him at her challengingly, she moved back around to the other side of the desk going no doubt to check Tony's file, but before anything more was said or done, Pepper met them.

"Oh, good," Pepper sighed in relief and hugged Bruce. "I was starting to worry something had happened to you too," she said with a small laugh. "Don't worry. He's still fine. How long have you been here?" She slipped effortlessly into her dual role of ruthless CEO and fierce friend, realizing something was out of order. She looked sharply at the nurse.

"She doesn't think I have any right to be with him before visiting hours," Bruce explained, clearly calming at the new fire power added to their arsenal. 

"Wait? Why does she get to be back there?" Clint questioned. "She's not related either."

"Ms. Potts is listed as a next of kin," the nurse answered with about as much patience as a teacher at the end of a particularly bad day in a classroom full of kindergarteners.

"As is Dr. Banner," Pepper clipped, eyes fixed on the nurse in a way that threatened she was ready to move from stun to kill.

The nurse looked at the computer screen and blinked a few times. "Oh. Well, if you had just led with that," she replied indignantly before letting Bruce follow Pepper back. "But the rest of you need to either move to the waiting room down the hall or return in the morning."

When the other four were finally able to visit, they came into the room to find Tony awake and sitting up slightly. He looked restless and ready to bolt if not for Bruce sitting as close as he could and holding his hand to keep him in place. With Bruce there, Pepper had been able to go home and rest as she still had a company to run.

"You know, doc.” Natasha quirked an eyebrow once they had all said their greetings and asked if Tony was doing better. “I'm fairly certain it's illegal to lie about being someone's spouse."

“It's a good thing nobody in their right mind would bring a lawsuit against the Hulk,” Clint quipped.

Bruce ducked his head for a moment, but then looked back up at them and shook it. “Not a lie.”

“Wait.” Steve held up a hand. “You two finally got married?”

“And didn’t tell us?” Thor seemed insulted.

“No way. Impossible,” Clint countered. “He’s trolling us. There’s no way they could have gotten married without us knowing. We’re like… always together. So unless they’re hiding a priest in that super secret lab they don’t think we know about then I call bullshit on this one.”

“First of all, that 'super secret lab' isn’t really a secret, bird brain,” Tony said defensively. “Not even a lab-lab. It’s just closed off and reinforced for when Bruce needs to let off a little steam. Sec-” His voice cracked from the strain of his annoyance against the medication he was on.

“Here.” Bruce immediately had his cup of water at the ready.

“Thanks,” Tony said with a soft smile when he was done before turning his glare back on Clint. “Second of all, don’t call my husband a liar.”

There was silence for a moment and more raised eyebrows. “You can’t be serious right now,” Clint pressed on. “You’re telling me that Tony Stark got married and _nobody_ got wind of it? In what world is that possible? In what world does _your ego_ make that possible?”

“In this world,” Tony answered with a fixed gaze, although his eyes were a little glossy from the medication, and clenched jaw. He opened his mouth to say something more, but Bruce gave him pointed look.

“ _You_ are going to aggravate your injuries if you keep that up, dear,” Bruce said firmly. “I can take it from here,” he then said more softly before looking back at the group. “Here’s how it is. We’ve been married for months, before you even moved in which is why you wouldn’t know about it.”

“Months?” Steve’s jaw dropped.

“A little over a month after I moved in with him,” Bruce said, shrugging. “I guess technically it was an elopement, but we were married by a justice of the peace with only Pepper and Director Fury as witnesses. The justice was paid handsomely to keep quiet and Tony’s legal team has kept it from leaking before we’re ready. We both agreed this would be the best way for now.”

“Okay, I have a lot of questions,” Steve said, holding up another hand.

Tony snorted. “You always do, Cap. But let’s hear ‘em.”

“Well, first of all, I’m wondering why you didn’t just tell us. Second, I can’t say I understand the secrecy at all. Third, _a month?_ Even I think that’s a bit sudden and I lived through World War II.”

“We just really wanted to keep it contained for now. It’s not that we don’t trust you, but we didn’t think it mattered much what the status of our relationship was as long as you knew we were together,” Bruce explained.

“And the secrecy is for a lot of reasons,” Tony took over. “The press is already intense now that Bruce is back in the states as it is and since it’s pretty well known we’re seeing each other. He doesn’t need any of the added press that would go along with being married to me. Doesn’t take a lot of imagination to know where most of the rags would go with that. Not to mention, there’s that little issue of an asshole general who would just love to spin this kind of thing to Congress. Eventually we’ll go public. But we want to make sure we have all our ducks in a row so it’s more or less on our terms and we’re prepared for the potential shitstorm.”

"Uh, hey that nurse..." Clint started, but Tony flapped his free hand, albeit a bit weakly.

"Bruce already signed the check and Pep already threatened legal action for good measure."

"Okay, never mind."

There was awkward silence for a moment.

“So, you think the short time frame of your relationship will make it look like it’s a marriage of convenience.” It was a statement, not a question, as Natasha tilted her head with a calculating look. “But it’s not.”

Bruce smiled and Tony squeezed their still joined hands. “No, it’s not. It just sort of happened. Or… Well, I guess you could say it might _not_ have happened that fast, but Pepper is not a woman to be argued with.” He laughed.

Tony barked out a weak laugh as well. “Yeah, she took one look at us together, told me that she and I wouldn’t work because Bruce and I were smitten, and then threatened unspeakable things if we didn’t at least go on one proper date.” Then Tony looked at Bruce with a smile. “She was right. Left to our own devices, maybe I would have started off slow--”

“Yeah, slow as in a proposition to hole up for at least a week and _then_ discuss potential feelings... maybe,” Bruce teased. Tony scoffed in offense. “Tony, you asked me if I could have sex in front of the team while we were eating shawarma. I'm pretty sure it was going to head there if Pepper hadn't stepped in before it could.”

“Okay, well, to be fair, I _was_ smitten, which was totally new for me so I can’t help it if certain organs were talking louder than other organs.”

“It’s fine. And I probably would have said yes either way.”

“Not gonna lie, doc,” Natasha interjected. “I’m a little surprised you said yes at all.”

Bruce looked at Tony with a smile and then back again. "I was hooked after the first date. I thought very seriously about running and then nearly had an incident and then another one. Figured that was as good a sign as any to just say what the hell for once."

“So all those fake proposals…?” Clint raised his hands questioningly.

Bruce suddenly started to chuckle and Tony actually looked sheepish. “His proposal was so out of left field and, uh, _interesting_ that we laughed about it later and started wondering about all the other interesting ways it could have gone. But, honestly, I wouldn’t want it to be different,” he added, joining in Tony’s sheepish reaction.

“That’s adorable.” Natasha gave a slight smile before it turned down again. “And disgusting. Mazel Tov.”

“Ditto. But I gotta say it still seems a little… impulsive?” Clint looked around at the others.

“Reckless?” Steve offered.

"Free-spirited," Thor suggested with an approving smile.

“Starkish,” Natasha responded.

“Probably why I couldn’t say no,” Bruce said wryly. “There’s just no tiptoeing around Tony. Although I try to maintain an even pace since one of us should be responsible,” he glowered teasingly at the engineer.

“I’m a man of opportunity, what can I say?” Tony shrugged, smirking. “I saw the opportunity to put a ring on it, so I did. Best thing I’ve ever done. Best person too,” he added with a slightly off-kilter leer as the medications began to cause his eyes to grow heavy.

“Damn right,” Bruce said with a small laugh. He then let go of Tony’s hand so he could reach over and fix his pillows. “Now stop fighting the painkillers. You need to get some more rest.” His hand moved to Tony’s cheek.

“I’ll say it again,” Natasha said evenly. “Adorable, but disgusting.”


	27. Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set in a verse where Bruce and Hulk can or have learned how to communicate (the reflection thing inspired by EMH). I guess I felt like practicing Hulk speak *wilts*

"We did this to him," Bruce mumbles bitterly as he stares through the window into the extensive SHIELD medical bay where the man he loves fights against the poison in his system. "Do you hear me, monster? We did this!" He spits out louder.

"Banner is weak. Scared. Banner wants to run." Hulk's voice rumbles in his mind, audible, and if Bruce were to stare long and hard enough at the reflective surface in front of him he knows he would even see the beast's reflection alongside his own, a disconcerting reminder that he's not ever alone. 

"Yes, Banner is weak," he chokes out. "Banner is scared. Do you hear me? I'm scared. I'm scared because of you. If he dies it's because..." He pauses, voice breaking and he hangs his head. "Because of me. You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't because of me."

Bruce looks at his bandaged finger. The small slice of skin underneath is so small, he hadn't even noticed until it was too late. The blood, his damn toxic blood, had contaminated their dinner and now Tony is left to fight against the gamma sickness as medics hurry to flush the radiation from his body. And it's all because he'd been so stupid all those years ago in the first place. There would be no risk, no toxic blood, no uncontrollable rage if not for his doing.

"Banner wants to run." 

"Yes," he whispers in defeat. "Banner _will_ run. If he lives, Banner will run." Tears spill through his closed eyes. "And if... if he doesn't..." He shakes his head and squeezes his closed eyes tighter, face contorting as his heart breaks at the thought of losing Tony this way. "You win. You can take me. You can do whatever you want. I can't live without him."

"Hulk not live without Nice Tony."

Bruce's eyes snap open. "What...? What are you saying?"

"Banner need Nice Tony. Make strong. Not scared. Nice Tony make Hulk stronger than strongest."

Bruce's tears flow freely now and he hangs his head against the glass. He doesn't care about Hulk's insults anymore. He doesn't care about Hulk's insistence that he's the strongest one there is.

"Tony already thinks I'm strong," he whispers brokenly because he doesn't know how else to respond; he can hear Tony's encouragements in his mind alongside the insults. "He wouldn't agree with you."

He can feel the sensation in his mind and he knows if he allowed himself to see the Other Guy's reflection now, the green behemoth would be attempting a smile. It's strange and uncomfortable. He's so broken and yet the beast in his head is smiling.

"Banner is strong." Bruce's brow furrows and he slowly raises his head from the window to look at his own reflection in confusion. "Puny Banner _always_ strong," Hulk says, clearly not understanding the concept of an oxymoron. "Nice Tony make Banner believe he's strong. Makes Hulk stronger." 

"Dr. Banner." Before Bruce can respond to his alter ego, Fury's voice is behind him and he whirls around. "You don't have anything to worry about." Bruce can't believe that. Even if Tony lives, which he wants him to, he's going to have to give him up and that's something to worry about.

Fury continues. "I wasn't going to tell you this because it's a highly classified item, but since a little birdie tells me you're thinking of running. Or maybe even worse..." Bruce doesn't have to look around to know somewhere Clint is watching him, ready to subdue an incident if need be. "SHIELD scientists have been working on an antitoxin for gamma sickness ever since that soda incident. It seems to be a resounding success. Stark will make a full recovery."

Bruce practically falls against the windowed wall behind him. "And the reactor?"

"Is a nice buffer against things in the bloodstream pumping to his heart at the average speed." Fury snorts. "Not the first time." Bruce knows he means the Palladium.

"Why are you telling me this?" Bruce raises a weary eyebrow.

"You don't want to know he'll be fine?" Fury asks in deflection, but Bruce just drops the eyebrow again, too weary to rise to the bait. "Because, Dr. Banner, this was a freak occurrence and one that is under control. You pull that kind of stunt somewhere else and there's less chance of getting the antitoxin to a person in time."

"I don't understand..."

"I'm saying you need to look at the bigger picture here, Doctor. If you run, you'll be making a big mistake."

Fury rises up in Bruce so strong that it shames the Director of his own name. "How dare you. We got lucky that I noticed the symptoms and the cut in time. How _dare_ you!" He hisses. "I could have killed the man I love and you expect me to care more about incidents in third world countries at the moment? At least there my mind won't be distracted like it is here."

Fury has the nerve to snort derisively at that and roll his one eye. "Because you weren't distracted in Brazil? Because you won't be distracted pining your ass away for Stark? Knowing he's fucking miserable wondering where his cowardly boyfriend is?"

Bruce practically snarls and chokes back the more dangerous emotions that could escalate this, with Tony so close and so vulnerable. "And you think it wouldn't take every ounce of courage I have to leave him?"

"Running away isn't courage, Doctor. It's the thing to do when there's no other choice. You're not out of options here. And leaving a man whose only delirium is to call out for you just because you think there's only one way to poison a person doesn't sound a lot like love."

Bruce's anger soothes as his face falls. "What do you mean?" Fury just shoves a com towards him. He holds it up to his ear and he blanches as he turns back to the window. "Tony," he whispers, tears flooding his face again. He knows it's a dirty trick, that Fury is manipulating him, but he doesn't care about Fury. He cares about Tony and Tony is calling out for him. 

"In the end the choice is always yours, Dr. Banner. But I suggest you at least have the courage to wait until you and Stark can talk about this like rational adults."

Bruce barely registers Fury's parting words as he stares longingly at Tony, wanting to run to him just as much from him. 

"If Banner runs, Hulk runs too."

Bruce shakes his head sadly. "Of course. It's a package deal."

"Stupid Banner. Hulk run back."

"Back?" Bruce blinks owlishly through his tears.

"Back to Nice Tony. Back to team."

Bruce's chest heaves out a deep breath. He wants to stay of course, but this isn't anything he expected. Hulk usually likes to be left alone.

"Why?" He breathes the question.

"Nice Tony need Banner. Make strong. Not scared."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> headcanon that Hulk IS that kind of doctor lol??? Don't worry I know this is ott weirdness.


	28. Sickness

"You're so lucky," Tony said, but it sounded more like 'nyer so luckeh' and made Bruce bite down on an unsympathetic laugh. 

"Am I?" He asked instead with a thin smile as he came back into the living room (because Tony was an overgrown child when he was sick and threw a fit about being in bed _all day not in the fun way_ ) with the all-natural vapor rub he was glad he'd had the foresight to pick up at the farmer's market after Clint and Natasha came down with colds; he'd had the distinct dread that Tony would be next.

"Nyes," he groused. "Nyou do't get sick."

Bruce rolled his eyes at that. "No, no. I just turn into a rage monster at random. Definitely the better alternative."

"Tha's what I'bm sayig." He threw up his hands dramatically and Bruce laughed outright.

"Of course it is. Now..." He stopped and looked down at the barely touched bowl of chicken noodle soup and then moved his gaze to Tony disapprovingly. "I thought you said you were hungry."

"I ahbm," he practically whined. "I wa't real food, darlig, not soop," he popped the p so gracelessly that Bruce had to stifle another chuckle.

He knew he shouldn't be amused by Tony's behavior, but he wasn't sick often so it was always a real adventure when he was. And Bruce may or may not have picked up a bit of a liking to playing doctor, or well in this case nurse, over the years. That or it was a weird instance of the Florence Nightingale effect where Tony was concerned. He wasn't sure.

"Soup is real food, darling," he echoed in answer. "And if this turns into a bit of stomach bug like it did for Clint, it's best not to feed this cold with too many solids," he explained his perfectly legitimate reasons.

"Ughhhh."

"Yes, ughhhh," Bruce mimicked. "I promised to eat soup right along with you, remember? I'm not exactly thrilled." He then knelt down beside the couch. "Up. Shirt off."

Tony's eyes widened and then he leered at him. Well, Bruce was pretty sure it was a leer. Tony was quite interesting when he was on cold medicine so it didn't quite _look_ like a leer, but it was a valiant effort.

"Hello, nurse," Tony said in accompaniment to the leer as he struggled with his, obviously listless, muscles to push himself up.

"Ha," Bruce replied drily and then shook his head. "That's not what's happening here." Tony slumped immediately and Bruce decided it would just be easier to wrestle the shirt off himself. Once the shirt was off, Bruce began applying a generous amount of the vapor rub.

"Ngh, not fair," Tony groaned.

"What's not fair?" Bruce asked casually, not stopping.

"Nyer teasig bme. I do't like this," he grumbled and tried to cross his arms petulantly. Bruce pushed them back down before he could.

"Of course you don't like this. It's called being sick. It's not supposed to be fun."

"But nyou ca't get sick," Tony stated the obvious, but Bruce knew him well enough by now to realize what he actually meant by that statement.

Bruce sighed and tried to make his voice soft since Tony clearly needed that at the moment. He rested his hands on Tony's shoulders and made eye contact with him. "Tony, you smell like sick right now, ok? That's not appealing. Even if it was," and really it wasn't, "you're hopped up on cold medicine and miserable. You wouldn't even enjoy it. But," he said as a thought occurred to him, "since I can't get sick we can still cuddle and watch whatever you want. Like date night with more mucous," he added with a dry laugh.

"One kiss?" Tony pouted and Bruce wasn't sure if it was the silliness of the expression, more exaggerated than usual, or the man's persistence, but he had to admit it was wearing him down.

"Will you eat the soup?"

Tony looked long and hard at the soup and if it wasn't for the fact he wasn't exactly looking forward to being kissed by a sick man (or man-child as it currently stood), Bruce would maybe be a little offended.

"Deal."

Bruce huffed. "You know, the whole sexual favors in exchange for food thing doesn't typically work like this," he said in bemusement, but kissed him just the same.

It was a languid kiss, as was to be expected from one man who was sick and the other not about to passionately kiss a sick person, but Bruce could tell Tony was satisfied to have the contact.

"You taste like menthol," Bruce said anticlimactically when he pulled back, licking his lips from the slight sensation it left. He furrowed his brow at that and looked at Tony questioningly. "Just how many cough drops have you had today?" 

Tony looked around him on the couch and moved his hand here and there under the blanket until he found the bag. Bruce immediately pinched the bridge of his nose at the sight of the almost empty package that he had given to him brand new earlier that morning. He took the bag from him and read the package. Sure enough, it said every 2-4 hours. He shook his head and moved it onto the table away from the engineer.

"Hey," Tony protested.

"There's a dosage limit even on cough drops, Tony. And you've already reached it," he said firmly as he stood back up to his feet. "Now put your shirt back on and start eating your soup while I go wash my hands and change into something more comfortable." And there was that attempted leer again. Bruce had to admit it was endearing and he smiled on his way back to their bedroom. 


	29. Melody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for references to Bruce's horrible childhood/implied child abuse and Tony referencing Stane's betrayal.

Bruce was looking for something in one of the storage rooms in the Malibu mansion, his first visit to the place since he and Tony had started dating, when he came across a grand piano. He furrowed his brow and moved toward it. He carefully uncovered it just enough to study it and was a little awed. It was the kind of thing that would be a conversation piece in any family's parlor and he wondered a little as to why Tony had it in storage. 

He carefully touched the keys. "Needs a tune," he thought out loud. So it had been there for some time.

"I can't play it anymore," Tony said from where he stood, arms crossed, leaning against the doorjamb. "I used to play all the time when I was younger. But..."

Bruce turned and looked at him with an expression that told the other man he didn't expect an answer.

"Obie played it all the time too," Tony answered, breathing out a heavy sigh as his arms fell and he came into the room. Bruce looked back down at the traitorous piano and removed his hand. "Pretty much every time he was here. If I was in another room and heard the piano, I knew Obie had stopped by for a visit. So after that whenever I looked at it or heard it, I just..."

"Why didn't you get rid of it then?" Bruce asked curiously.

"Technically it belonged to my mother. She actually taught me when I was three or four. It's one of the only good memories I have with her. She liked music. I think she probably would have preferred if I was a musical prodigy instead of an engineering prodigy."

"So essentially you're conflicted," Bruce said knowingly, nodding his head. "I can relate."

Tony furrowed his brow. "How's that?"

"I can... I can play the harmonica."

"Oh yeah?" Tony gave him a soft smile.

"Yeah. And I carried one around with me for a while when I was on the run. It gave me something to do when I was anxious, needed something to do with my hands. Only... Sometimes I'd start subconsciously playing this tune... And well, it only made the anxiety worse."

Tony's smile fell. "Your father played the harmonica? And he played that tune a lot?"

Bruce nodded. "Yeah. I figured out how to play just by watching him. You can imagine I didn't let him know that though. Also, he whistled it a lot. I always knew he was coming because I could hear him whistling down the street and if he was coming home then chances were he was back from a bender."

Tony winced. "God, Bruce, hearing you talk about it... It never gets easier," he said with a shake of his head and moved his hands to Bruce's shoulders. Even before they'd started dating, Tony had hated hearing the stories when Bruce dared to mention them.

"You know, hearing you talk about what happened to you isn't much easier. I knew my father didn't care about me, but you can't say the same about Stane. It's a good thing I didn't know you then."

"No, I wish you had," Tony countered. "Maybe things would be different if I'd known you sooner. Maybe we wouldn't have had to hurt so much to get to here."

Bruce offered him a wan smile. "That's a nice sentiment," he echoed words he hadn't meant before, but he meant them now. "I don't know how much good I would have done, but I would have tried to protect you."

"And I would have tried to protect you from Ross sooner and I sure as hell wouldn't have made those weapons."

"I know," Bruce replied.

Their moment quieted as they poured their regrets and demons into a kiss that swallowed those parts of them whole and then wrapped them in the warm reminder that at least they had each other now.

A week later the piano was returned to its original place of honor, tuned and cared for, and a beautiful harmonica sat perched against the sheet music.


	30. Lightning/Thunder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the throes of a crappy day so I looked at the prompts I had left to see which one would inspire me to write the crackiest crack bizarre-o crack I could think of. Then I found it. So this is pure unadulterated crack and I do mean crack.

"Ok, this is a joke right? Who's responsible for this?" Tony looked around at his team as JARVIS started the first movie in the queue for movie night. "Seriously? _High School Musical_? We're superheroes, not teenage girls."

"Stark, I know teenage girls who could kill you with their pinkies," Natasha replied coolly from where she was curled into one side of the couch.

"She does," Clint agreed. "She's a Directione-ow!" Tony would have laughed, but didn't want the next pillow in Natasha's arsenal to be aimed at him.

"Okay, but who picked this?"

"I did," Thor answered unfazed. "It looked delightful and there are three movies! So it must have been good to have more than one."

Tony groaned and buried himself deeply into the loveseat. Then he looked around for Bruce. "Okay, where's my science bro? He has to at least suffer through this with me."

As if materializing upon demand, Tony could dream, Bruce came over with a large bowl of popcorn. "Seat taken?" He asked with a quirk of his lips.

"It is now, hot stuff." Tony waggled his brow. There were groans from the rest of the team and Bruce rolled his eyes, but Tony didn't really care. He liked shamelessly flirting with the physicist.

Bruce sat down and they all settled in for the campy teenybopper flick.

"You have to admit the songs are kind of catchy," Bruce said at one point, but Tony was too engrossed, like watching a train wreck really, to make a comment.

"Don't look now everybody, but I think Tony is identifying with Troy Bolton over there," Clint quipped with a smirk.

That Tony did comment on. "Well, yeah. I'm the rich and popular one."

"Torn between being an asshole and being a superhero?" Clint asked with a raised eyebrow then.

Tony snorted. "Sure. You can be the gay one."

"Wait, which one is gay?" Steve suddenly asked, furrowing his brow at the screen and then looking around them.

Tony leaned over to Bruce and whispered, "If I say the dude in the spangly outfits--"

"He might file for a restraining order," Bruce answered with a laugh before he could finish the question. Tony barked out a laugh as well since Bruce was genuinely funny.

"What's so funny over there lovebirds?" Clint asked, looking over at them.

"It's science bros," Tony clipped, though not entirely bothered by the remark.

"Look you can call it whatever you want, man. I don't judge."

When the second film ended, it was agreed that it wasn't really as good as the first one and felt a little like a repeat of the first.

"Why is the rich girl still mean if they were all in this together?" Tony had asked dubiously, pointing at the screen. 

Still they moved onto the third in an effort to cross it off their bucket lists, although Tony was relatively sure no one had ever had the films on their bucket lists.

"At least the main couple is cute enough, I guess," Bruce said in a considering tone.

"I think you mean nauseatingly saccharine," Natasha corrected. "That's not how life works."

"No, I agree. They're like soul mates," Steve said whimsically and Thor agreed.

"I don't know about that, but it's a pretty classic set up," Bruce countered. "Rich popular kid, smart unpopular kid, thrown together, fall in love, but they're unstable because one doesn't know what he wants and the other is afraid of getting hurt so..."

Bruce's sentence trailed, but Tony didn't have to look over to know that they'd suddenly reached the same conclusion and their eyes were in equal states of 'deer in headlights' at the moment. Finally they turned to look at each other and even that was in sync. 

"Please don't tell me we're actually figuring this out because of a Disney Channel movie," Bruce whispered, wincing slightly.

"I... I could break out into song if it would make it less awkward," Tony offered with a shrug.

"Really? That would make it less awkward?" Bruce looked at him incredulously, that adorable expression of fond exasperation that he always wore when...

Oh. Oh right. Yeah, so they _were_ figuring this out while a really melodramatic teenybopper musical played in the background. Okay then.

"I suppose there are ways it could be more awkward," Tony said then and his eyes darted down to Bruce's lips that... Oh, okay, yeah, he really wanted to kiss him. _Really_ wanted to kiss him. 

"True," Bruce said with a nod.

Then suddenly they were kissing like teenagers on a first date at a movie, but it felt the opposite of awkward so Tony thought _what the hell_ ; he was more than okay if it turned into full on tonsil hockey like horny teenagers at a movie. Bruce seemed to agree.

"Well, this finally got interesting," Clint chirped, but they didn't come up for air.

"So is Ryan the gay kid? Because I'm confused why he would ask a girl to prom," Steve said obliviously, but they only came up for air for a moment before continuing.

"Some people swing both ways, Cap," Clint answered. "Like those two apparently." They still didn't come up for air and Tony was pretty sure he never wanted to, because _damn_ for a man who avoided people Bruce had a delicious mouth and eager tongue.

"What, that?" Steve asked, sounding incredulous. "I know about that." They did come up for air suddenly at that. "But Stark said the kid was gay, not bisexual."

Tony looked at Bruce and Bruce looked at him and then they started to laugh uncontrollably at the all around bizarre situation.

"You _should_ be laughing," Natasha intoned. "It's pretty embarrassing."

"It is not embarrassing," Thor said solemnly. "It is as that beautiful song earlier said. Love is like catching lightning. It is truly a feat when you do. We should be happy for our comrades."

"Oh god," Bruce said, still sniggering. "We _are_ pathetic."

"Beyond pathetic," Tony agreed.

Then their lips met again and Tony figured it didn't matter since they'd already killed their dignity anyhow and it was a pretty fantastic tradeoff. And since his dead dignity wanted to be beaten like an equally dead horse, he also mused Thor might have a point about love and lightning because the sparks flying between them felt one in a million.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Thor is referencing for those unfamiliar with High School Musical is "Can I Have This Dance" from the third film. The chorus is: _It's like catching lightning / the chances of finding someone like you / It's one in a million / the chances of feeling the way we do_. The first and third films plus all the soundtracks are guilty pleasures of mine so that's why of all things for me to think of when I read the prompt, it was that song haha (it's actually my second favorite of all the HSM songs not that anyone needed to know that). 
> 
> And oh god this may or may not have made me also write a chapter for a (never likely to be finished) cheesy HSM-inspired Bruce/Tony High School AU oh god. It would be such a bastardization. Why, self? Why?
> 
> Lastly, the gag about Steve's confusion over Ryan's sexual orientation is a shout out to my time in the HSM fandom way way way back in the day. There were people who would argue about whether he should be strictly straight, strictly gay, or strictly both because of the stage show versus the movies. Fun times...


	31. Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bizarre shmoop inspired by 50 First Dates - complete with slight original-kidfic for those adverse to that. Handwavy comic book logic in regards to amnesia.

"Where am I?" Bruce blinks owlishly and wonders at the rawness of his throat and the way his body feels as though it's been hit repeatedly by a bus. Slowly he sits up in bed. It's a _huge_ bed. He immediately looks around in confusion.

Bruce blinks a few more times as he continues to take in his surrounding, trying to make sense of it. He's in a very luxurious bedroom and he can spy an even more luxurious en suite off the room. It's the most luxurious bedroom he's ever been in. He looks down at the sheets covering him and slowly registers them. They're easily the softest things he's ever felt. That's when he registers he's partly naked save for spandex shorts or pants, or whatever those in between variants are called.

_Good morning, sir._

"What the hell?" Bruce croaks out.

_Don't be alarmed. I am J.A.R.V.I.S. and I am an Artificial Intelligence. I am here to assist you. In order to do so, I need to ask you a few simple questions._

"Right, J.A.R.V.I.S." His memories begin to return to him. He knows J.A.R.V.I.S. somehow, but it's still hazy around the edges of his mind.

_Sir, can you tell me if you recall your name?_

Bruce closes his eyes and rubs them with his hands only for his eyes to widen quickly. He looks down in panic to see the unexpected band of gold. "Uh…" He stammers. "Why do I have a ring on my finger?" His left hand ring finger to be exact.

_Sir, I will assist you shortly, but it is crucial to know if you recall your name and can access the last thing you do recall before waking up._

Bruce sighs and begins fidgeting with the ring on his finger. It feels foreign, but not inherently wrong. He just wishes he knew how it got there. Who is he even married to? He remembers Betty, but they had broken up after he'd gone on the run.

"My name is Bruce Banner," he complies at last. "And the last thing I remember is…" He closes his eyes again and reaches deep for whatever he can find. Oh, now he knows how he remembers J.A.R.V.I.S. "There was a battle. I'm an Avenger, right?"

_That is correct, sir._

"I… I remember a battle against…" He sighs and opens his eyes. "I don't remember. I just remember going into battle."

_Do you recall the day or year when that took place?_

Bruce narrows his eyes. "Uh, it was June… No, July, uh, late July? 2013."

_Very good, sir. Now I may be able to assist you with the rest. Would you care to dress first or watch the video that Mr. Stark has prepared for you?_

"Tony prepared a video for me?"

He remembers Tony. He remembers the team. That's good. That's reassuring. Looking around, the room vaguely resembles Tony's large penthouse bedroom at the tower from the few times he'd been in it – and paying attention to details.

He suddenly feels a surge of memory. Not only Betty. There had also been Tony. He remembers he and Tony had recently started dating. He remembers being happier than he had been in a long time. He remembers already being dangerously close to falling irreversibly in love with Tony, or maybe he had already been in love with Tony if he were being honest, and hoping the bottom didn't fall out like it always did.

_Yes, sir. I will go ahead and display it now if you like._

"Sure." 

Bruce waits patiently, sparing a glance down at his hand again, until the holographic screen appears in front of him and Bruce is greeted by Tony's warm and smiling face. He can't help but smile in return because it eases away his feelings of confusion and because his feelings for the other man are still firmly in place and that's reassuring.

"Welcome back, honey." Tony says it so easily that Bruce blinks. Had they been… Or, uh, were they at the terms of endearment stage of their relationship? "I know you're confused as hell right now," Tony then states and Bruce snorts in spite of himself before looking down at his hand again. Confused might be an understatement. "And you've probably noticed the ring by now. Surprise. We'll get to that later though." Tony pauses and Bruce knows he's willing himself to be mindful of his confusion and not ramble at the speed of light.

He continues. "The last thing you typically remember is the battle in July of 2013. That battle was against Mastermind." Bruce suddenly recalls that detail from the brief. "During that battle Mastermind took control of the Hulk. We didn't know it was possible, but he did. You can imagine the Big Guy's distress. We were able to finally get him out of your mind, or you did inside Hulk's psyche, still a little fuzzy on the details, but there were complications. I need you to, whatever you do, not panic over what I'm about to tell you. Because I promise you, Bruce, it's not that bad. It's not permanent."

Tony takes a breath and then says, "Ever since that incident, when you wake up from a transformation, you suffer from temporary amnesia." He pauses and Bruce isn't quite sure how he's not supposed to panic about something like that. "It threw us for a loop at first and you definitely went into a panic which made it worse, but hey, it's a hell of a hard curve. But it only lasts approximately 72 hours. And thankfully there's no affect on Hulk because then there'd probably be complications. Anyway so after you wake up, you can't remember anything after that battle against Mastermind for three days and it's always a little rough on you. It's always a bit of a shock. But, babe, it's okay. _You_ are okay. When you're ready, have J.A.R.V.I.S. roll the next video."

Bruce doesn't know how to respond. He doesn't know if he's ready. He has temporary amnesia now? Whenever there's an incident?  


"J.A.R.V.I.S., how many times has this happened?"

_That question may be better answered in other ways, Dr. Banner. And Mr. Stark always prepares a video for you after an incident with answers to your usual questions and concerns in addition to the one you just watched explaining your temporary condition._

"Oh, uh… I guess… I guess I'm ready."

_As you wish, sir._

Another video appears and Tony looks a little different, a little older. That gives Bruce pause because it means the video explaining his condition was recorded at least some time ago in the past for there to be a difference. He takes a deep breath and tries to trust Tony's words that everything is okay.

"Hello again, gorgeous," Tony says and Bruce muses he could get used to this easy intimacy. "This is going to come as a shock, but today is… J.A.R.V.I.S., fill in the blanks, please," Tony says and on cue the video pauses and in the space around Bruce, the AI says –

_It is the morning of September 17, 2018._

"Shit," Bruce hisses and quickly the video resumes and he's grateful for Tony's reassuring presence again.

"I know, Bruce. It's a lot to take in. Stay calm. You'll remember those five missing years in a few days. It'll be okay." Bruce takes another deep breath and nods. He wishes Tony was there with him at the moment, but he's sure there's a reason why he, or maybe they together, decided this was better. "First things first," Tony holds up his left hand and Bruce's eyes immediately zero in on the gold band, "I love you, Bruce. You're the love of my life. We were married in 2014. It was a small affair." Tony's face is replaced by their wedding photo. "Don't worry. Today isn't our anniversary. We can look at the photos and videos later if you'd like," Tony says when the video returns to him. "You usually like to do that. Helps you feel grounded, like this is all real and I'm not just, you know, lying to you or something," he says with a laugh.  


Bruce smiles softly and looks down at his ring again, touching it with his other hand. So that answers that question and much to his surprise, he's glad it's Tony. He can't wait to remember the details. He can't wait to remember just how much he loves Tony now all these years later. He's pretty sure it has to be a lot since, yes, he's certain he was in love with him before.  


"Next major thing that confuses you is where you've woken up at." Tony continues after a few moments and he's not sure if J.A.R.V.I.S. paused the video for him or if Tony has acclimated the timing of the video to his typical responses to the information. "We've moved. We don't live at the tower anymore. Remember when I mentioned a huge base of operations, a mansion of sorts? Yeah, that's what we've got now. It's great. Modern yet homey. The team loves it." The video begins showing footage of the place, some of it including himself which is a bit surreal. "We actually have a larger team now as a heads up for when you see them. Don't worry about feeling awkward around them. Trust me, they get it and are supportive. You can ask me all the questions you want about them later."

There is another long pause. Tony looks to be gearing himself up for something. Something big, Bruce thinks if he's reading Tony's cues correctly. He isn't sure if he's ready. "Hey, can you pause, J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

_Of course, Dr. Banner._

"I assume this is the master suite and I have clothes in the closet?" Bruce then asks as he moves from the bed.

_Yes, sir._

Bruce quickly finds the master closet and finds his clothes just as easily. There are outfits he's never seen, but he knows his style and size. And the row of purple button ups gives away which side of the closet is his. He has to laugh a little. It's a fond memory that he hasn't temporarily lost.

Once he cleans himself off a little in the bathroom, with J.A.R.V.I.S. helping him locate a few things, he dresses and then returns to the bedroom. "Okay," he says with a deep breath. "I guess I'm ready for the rest."

_Very well, sir._

Bruce blinks because J.A.R.V.I.S. has a certain sort of _tone_ to his sentient voice that sounds almost like he knows a secret and is enjoying knowing that secret before Bruce.

"Alright, Bruce. This next one is big. But it's a good big. Very good big," Tony says.  


Tony gestures and somebody that Bruce doesn't recognize comes onto the screen momentarily, passing a child into Tony's arms. Bruce's breath hitches as Tony turns the child so that Bruce is faced with a beautiful little girl with thin dark hair and large brown eyes. She looks a good deal like Tony, Bruce recognizes immediately. He furrows his brow a little as he studies her and the absolutely enamored look Tony gives her before looking into the camera again.

"This little angel is our daughter, Bruce." Bruce's heart nearly stops for a moment and his eyes prickle with tears even as he stares at the video in disbelief. "She's ours. Our beautiful Rebecca Maria," Tony says.

"Me!" The little girl says with an enthusiastic clap of her hands, looking up at Tony, before giggling. "Becca!"

"That's right. You," Tony says with a smile. "Want to wave to daddy? We're making a video for daddy again. Wave and say hi," he prompts and points toward the camera.

The little girl looks like she's trying to process his request before turning and looking in the direction he's pointing. Then she seems to realize there's a camera and she bounces a little in Tony's arms. "Hi, daddy!" She waves. "Daddy, wake?" She asks cutely and looks at Tony. Bruce raises a hand to his mouth as if it could hold in his emotions.

"Soon," Tony promises her. "Daddy's still sleeping. But he'll see this when he wakes up." Tony smooths her hair with a few fingers and then looks back at the camera with a soft smile. "I know you're probably wondering how you let me talk you into having a kid, but I promise you, you've definitely come around. I mean, how can you not with a face like that? She's all ours Bruce. She's two in case you're wondering. And, no, this isn't her birthday. I know it's a lot to take in and you still have questions. Come find us when you're feeling up to it or have J.A.R.V.I.S. have us come to you if you prefer. I love you."

The video cuts out and Bruce wipes the tears from his eyes with the base of his palm. Tony isn't wrong when he says it's a lot to take in. He's not only a Hulk sometimes, now he sometimes has amnesia. And apparently in the past five years his life has changed drastically. He's married to Tony Stark and they have a daughter, by surrogacy he has to assume since she definitely looks like Tony.

Oh god, he hopes that Tony at least made sure to only use his sperm. No, no, of course Tony would know that. And, oh god, they have a two year old daughter in the midst of a superhero team? How is that safe? Are they good parents? Is _he_ a good parent? He has to see her in person. He has to hold her. He has to see Tony. It's more than he can handle alone.

He quickly gets up from where he was sat on the bed again and ventures cautiously out of the bedroom. He heads down the hall until he starts to hear the sound of voices. He follows it and finds Tony sat on a stool at the kitchen island and their daughter – _their daughter_ – sat in a high chair beside him.

Bruce stands there watching in awe as Tony eats his yogurt while watching Rebecca eat hers. Bruce notices immediately that her fine motor skills are already pretty good and he wonders if it has anything to do with Tony's genetics. The man may not stand still, but he's good with his hands when he needs to be.

"That good?" Tony asks. "Yum, yum, yum," he then says in a goofy tone as he takes an exaggerated bite of his own food. Rebecca giggles and Bruce isn't sure he's ever heard a more beautiful sound in his entire life.

"I love you," Bruce says without any other introduction, because he has to say it, and both Tony and Rebecca turn their heads to see him standing there.

"Daddy!" Rebecca cheers and Bruce can't stop himself from closing the distance and picking up the girl reaching out for him.

"She's so beautiful. You're so beautiful, Rebecca," he says in awe as she hugs him and he kisses her on her head. Tony stands beside him and nods. When Bruce pulls away from his daughter, though still holding her, he looks at his husband. "You go through all of this trouble just for me to remember for three days?"

Tony smiles. "Of course. I mean, those first few times it happened were a doozy and we had to figure something out."

"Why?" Bruce asks suddenly. "I mean, you go through all of this. You married me and wanted to start a family with me even with the hassle of—"

Tony presses a finger to Bruce's lips and Rebecca mimics. Bruce smiles in spite of the intrusion. Tony then removes his finger while Bruce carefully takes Rebecca's small hand into his own and holds it away, though not without kissing her tiny fingers first.

"I love you, Bruce. Three days every now and then of you being confused and having to walk you through all of this doesn't change that. You don't remember it now, but I once told you that even if I had to do this every single day for the rest of our lives, I would as long as I knew that somewhere underneath the confusion you still love me as much as I love you. Even if I wasn't sure, I can't say I wouldn't take my chances anyway." He shrugs. "Although there might be an issue of consent there," he adds with a slight squint of his eyes.

Bruce knows he's tearing up again, but he can't be bothered to care because in spite of his slight confusion, everything is perfect. "I can't wait to remember everything again," he says as he looks at Rebecca and then Tony. "But I do remember one thing. I love you too, Tony."

He leans in, craning his neck to keep from squashing Rebecca against Tony, and kisses his husband tenderly. And he smiles against his lips when he realizes he remembers perfectly the feeling of Tony's kiss too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope this broke my agonizing writer's block. But I swear all I want to write at the moment is these two as dads. It's like turned into the dads stage for me Idk. I just want them to be the dads of a Rebecca Maria or maybe both a Rebecca and a Maria... *next stop Dadsville*


	32. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I was very sad I wanted fluff. And crack. Writing crack always makes me feel better. So I opened up my remaining prompts for this collection and was immediately inspired. (I'm updating this after almost 11 months... whaaaaatttt?)
> 
> So here is a 6000ish word House Hunters AU where Tony and Bruce 1. have no powers and 2. aren't as extreme as their characters (e.g. like Tony isn't like the richest man on the planet) rather more regular people like you'd see on the show. 
> 
> Because it's based on House Hunters, the format is weird and I guess you have to imagine it's on television and I'm describing the scenes? IDEK. It's literally just them describing features of houses which is probably really boring. Anything italic is the narrator in case that isn't obvious. Also sorry not sorry for the annoying ASCII art that I spent more time on than this fic oops.

_Four years ago this Fortune 500 CEO and this physicist-turned-humanitarian nomad met at a clean energy initiative in Manhattan._

"I just remember thinking, who is that breathtaking man in the purple shirt? I have to meet him," Tony says to the camera with a broad smile as Bruce looks at him with pursed lips.

"And I remember being more than a little surprised at being approached by him," Bruce replies, looking at the camera with a thin smile and nod.

"But it was a good surprise," Tony interjects and Bruce chuckles before looking at him.

"Yeah, it definitely was."

_After a short stint of long-distance dating Bruce exchanged his nomadic lifestyle for Tony's Manhattan penthouse._

"I, uh, I realized that I could do humanitarian work anywhere, but only one of those places had Tony."

"And I realized if moving to Manhattan wasn't an option for him then I'd probably have to find another way to make it work." Tony pauses. "I realized with Bruce I have someone I would be happy to do everything with for the rest of my life."

_The rest, as they say, is history. Now married, Tony and Bruce are looking to relocate from their Manhattan penthouse all the way across the country to California where they hope to find a place that meets their very different ideas of what makes a home._

"I wouldn't say we're completely opposite," Bruce says in a considering tone. "We share a lot of the same interests and have a lot of the same, uh, traits I guess, but at the same time we… We definitely are different enough that it's… It keeps it interesting."

"Without being so different that it doesn't work," Tony adds with a nod. "We sort of balance each other out just right. He's the solution to X when my equation gets a little confusing." Bruce smiles and ducks his head. "But, of course, you know, that doesn't mean I want to live in a bungalow in the middle of nowhere with chickens and a Zen garden." Bruce laughs outright.

"And I definitely don't want to live in a ten room mansion with more amenities than we could possibly ever have time for," he says with a shake of his head.

"He's probably the only person I know who can say that and mean it," Tony replies with his own fond laugh. "So you can understand why I married him."

_And with the couple wanting to put down roots in this new place, it's critical they find a home that they can both be happy in for years to come._

"We want a place that gives us what we both want and that feels like it's ours," Tony says. "The penthouse was sort of my bachelor pad for a long time and it's never really felt like a place where we can grow old together. I guess we could, but Bruce has had made a lot of adjustments over the past few years so it's just time to strike a balance."

"And, we…" Bruce glances at Tony with a small smile and then back at the camera. "We've talked about starting a family soon so we'd really like to find a place that gives us the room to grow and sort of make our own together."

_After some discussion Tony and Bruce have decided they want to settle in the Malibu area, about an hour and a half drive from Tony's company's L.A. headquarters as well as some of Bruce's relatives. The couple have a generous budget, but conscientious Bruce is adamant they not pay more than 5 million for a home._

_Their agent, Phil Coulson, first takes them to a 4 bedroom, 3 bath home listed well below Bruce's comfort price at 2.1 million. It's also on the traditional side, which is more to Bruce's tastes._

"I know Tony is going to have a hard time envisioning himself in this house," Coulson says to the camera as he stands outside of it, "but I think it has a lot of character and definitely at a price where they can maybe personalize it a little more to Tony's liking without losing the charm that I'm sure Bruce will love about it."

"Oh wow," Bruce says as they pull into the drive way. "I love the curb appeal already. It's definitely close to how I imagined a home should be when I was younger."

"Really?" Tony asks with a raised brow as they get out of the car.

"Yeah. The bit of stone work, generous front yard for kids and a dog. There's even a little side yard over there where I could have my vegetable garden," he says, pointing. Tony looks around at the house and yard with a studious expression as they walk up toward the front entrance where Coulson waits for them.

"Nice to see you both," Coulson says as he shakes their hands. "Let's jump right in. This house is a 4 bedroom, 3 bath listed at 2.1 million."

"I definitely like the price tag," Bruce comments.

"It's around 4300 square feet and was built in 1980. I know you may have to use your imagination a little, Tony," Coulson teases evenly, "but it does have a lot of the amenities on both of your wish lists. There's the three car garage and the generous yard. And it has the feeling of seclusion from other neighbors that you both asked for," he says as he ushers them into the house.

"I do like that," Tony agrees. "I was a little afraid about it being in a community and all the other homes around that you'd feel like you're right on top of the neighbors, but it still feels private enough."

"Without losing the community feeling that might be good for family," Bruce adds.

"It's definitely a community with a lot of families. The elementary and middle schools are only a few miles from here and the high school is about ten," Coulson supplies and both men give considering nods and glances at one another.

"Oh, this is really charming," Bruce says when they step into the entryway and are greeted by a semi-spiral staircase and the living area directly on the right.

"The staircase reminds me of the estate I grew up in back in Long Island," Tony says. "Only miniaturized."

"I've seen the pictures. Definitely miniaturized," Bruce remarks with a soft laugh. "But I really like it. I can just imagine kids running up and down them or maybe taking prom photos on the staircase."

"While you tear up to the point that you hand me the camera," Tony ribs as they walk into the living area. Coulson chuckles as he follows.

"As you can see you have a nice formal living room here with a fireplace and it opens up onto the formal dining room."

"I _love_ this bay window," Bruce states emphatically as he walks over to it and looks out. "Nice place for the Christmas tree," he suggests.

"I can see that," Tony agrees. "I like that it's hardwood floors although you know I like heated floors so we may have to redo them."

"Tony, it's California. Not Manhattan. I doubt we need heated floors as long as the heating's good."

"You say that now, but just wait," Tony replies and Bruce rolls his eyes. "I have to say I'm not loving this fireplace."

"Yeah, I agree," Bruce says with a nod. "It's sort of blah."  

"Well, you've got plenty of money left in your budget to change it to something else."

"That's true," Bruce remarks with a hitch of his shoulder. "Not sure I'm sold on this being the formal dining either," he comments as he walks over to it. "Although I like the windows here. They're begging for window seating, but there'd be no room the way this is laid out."

"We'd have to bump out the wall to do window seating," Tony states, tilting his head. "Unless we did some sort of custom cabinet type seating in front of it." Bruce nods his head from side to side. "Actually, I was just thinking this wall over here would be a perfect place for your Aunt Susan's cameo buffet."

"You're right," Bruce replies eagerly. "I can definitely picture it there."

"And as you can see, if you turn to your right and slight left you have the main family and entertaining space," Coulson continues to guide them through the space. "This space also hits your criteria for entertaining."

"Criterion," Tony corrects. "And yeah, it does. But again, I'm really not crazy about this fireplace. We'd definitely have to redo it too. And I'm not sure I get the little sunken alcove arrangement here. Is there a reason why there's a mini space here not level with the rest of this room?"

"I agree it's a bit strange. More quirky than charming."

"Could be a number of things," Coulson states. "But I'd guess probably a stylistic choice of the 80s."

"And it wouldn't be cheap or easy to level it out I'm guessing," Tony says with a twist of his lips.

"I don't know if I hate it enough for it to be a deal breaker," Bruce says in a considering tone. "It would be a nice little reading nook with the fire place, but it probably wouldn't be quiet enough if others were right there watching television or something. But there's a mini bar, Tony," he points out.

"I saw that," Tony replies as he goes over to inspect it. "Hmm, definitely intended for wine. Fire place. Weird little alcove with low seating in front of the fire." Tony practically leers. "I think I can make a few guesses as to the point of this space. 80s romance at its finest."

"Stop," Bruce says with a laugh.

"No, seriously," Tony says as he inspects the room. "There was probably a wall here," he points at an open space, "at one time and this was an actual little den. A—"

"Don't say it."

"—love den."

"Okay, well, you have fun in the love den. I'm going to look at the rest of the house," Bruce teases and follows Coulson into the kitchen adjacent of said love den. "There's plenty of room here for a bigger table for formal eating," he says as soon as he comes into the room. He smooths his hands along the wall. "Is this load-bearing? I wouldn't mind having a more open concept on the main floor. And it would be something Tony would like more."

"I'm not sure," Coulson answers.

"The projects keep adding up," Tony says with a grimace.

"You're an engineer," Bruce says with an incredulous expression. "This is your time to shine." They both then take in the kitchen itself. "I really like this. It keeps with the charming feel of the house."

"Is it big enough?" Tony asks dubiously.

"Hm, it could probably be a little bit bigger or stand to have a little more storage at least," Bruce replies. "I love the overall layout though and the double oven. But we'd have to move that microwave somewhere else and maybe swap it out for more storage."

"Yeah," Tony says with a laugh. "I have to stand on my toes to reach some of the settings." He demonstrates as Bruce chuckles. "No way a kid could."

"Might be the point," Coulson says, "but I agree it might be something you'd want to change. But other than that we've got granite counter tops here, brand new appliances and a stunning view like you both asked for, right here from your kitchen windows."

"It's amazing," Bruce says in awe.

"Um, pretty sure when I said view, I meant ocean view," Tony protests. "Sure that's pretty spectacular, but I don't see the ocean."

"There's an ocean of trees," Coulson tries.

_Phil shows them the downstairs bedroom currently being used as an office as well as the laundry room before taking them upstairs._

"Directly on your right we have the master suite," Coulson directs.

"It's… interesting," Tony states. "Very odd layout. And again with the weird fireplaces."

"I kind of like this one," Bruce disagrees. "And I like that the sitting area is a little closed off. I could definitely see reading there." He pauses. "Look, honey, a balcony." He opens the door and they both step out on it. "Could you imagine sitting out here early in the morning with some coffee and tea?"

"Uh," Tony squints, "no, but maybe at sunset or at night watching the stars."

"That too," Bruce compromises with a thin smile. "But I could come out here in the morning and meditate," he suggests.

"You'd love that, wouldn't you?"

Bruce hums favorably before they head back in and make their way into the en suite.

"Before you reach the master bath you have your walk-in closet," Coulson says, showing them.

"Could be bigger," Tony says. "I do like the overall concept of this master bath though," he comments. "I mean, I'm used to something a little more decadent, but there's at least room for improvement. And the tub's big enough for two people." He winks at Bruce.

_Phil then shows them the bonus great room and two more bedrooms and bathrooms._

"Everything's fairly standard. The bedrooms could use a little updating. And I'm not sure I love the carpet in the bedrooms. Hardwood throughout would be ideal," Bruce comments.

"But I do love that great room. There are a lot of potential uses for it."

"Alright, that just leaves the backyard and I think you're both going to love it," Coulson says and then leads them down the stairs and outside.

"Shut up," Bruce remarks immediately. " _This_ is phenomenal."

"It is," Tony agrees. "I honestly wasn't expecting this kind of oasis. A pool and outdoor entertaining space was definitely on our list."

"But there's still a lot of yard left. That's nice. And look, Tony, you can kind of see a bit of the ocean from here," Bruce teases.

"And there's a jet spa over there," Coulson points out.

"Well, ocean view or not," Tony says, "this is a pretty good selling point."

"I thought so," Coulson states evenly. "And with good community, good schools and price point that lets you make improvements, I'd definitely suggest considering this one."

"Yeah, but some of the rooms were a little weird. I mean, I still don't quite get the master."

"He's right," Bruce agrees. "It's very charming and has a lot of the traditional feel I'd love to have in a house, but it's not perfect. We'd definitely have to put more time and money into it to make it our own."

"Well, I have a couple of more properties to show you, so why don't we go take a look?"

 

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_After almost four years of living in a Manhattan penthouse, Bruce and Tony are looking to put down roots in Malibu. They have hopes of starting a family, but don't see exactly eye to eye on what their family home should look like. So far their agent has shown the couple a budget-friendly traditional that meets a lot of the men's criteria and also has a lot of the charm that appeals to Bruce. Next up, Phil decides to take them to see a house more likely to appeal to what Tony is looking for. But with a price tag over Bruce's comfort zone of 5 million, will he be willing to compromise?_

"Okay, so this is a 6 bedroom 7 bath Tuscan style home that's listed at 5.5 million," Coulson says as soon as the men are out of their car.

"Ouch." Bruce winces. "That's definitely over the 5 million price point we've talked about." He looks at Tony.

"You're trying to ruin me here, Phil?" Tony asks in a teasing tone.

"I think you may be able to get the price down a little," Coulson states as they look around at the circular drive way and take in the curb appeal. "But it might have enough of the things you're looking for to consider that small jump in price."

"The garage looks spacious," Tony comments. "And I noticed we're very close to the ocean."

"I can't say I love the curb appeal," Bruce says in disappointment. "After that last house this just isn't really what I ever envisioned, but I guess that's not as important as the inside," he finishes reasonably.

"I actually agree," Tony says and Bruce looks at him in surprise. "I have to admit this house doesn't look, you know, as inviting on first glance."

"Well, why don't we start the tour then," Coulson suggests and they follow him in. "As you can see the main floor is actually the second story."

"Huh," both men say in unison.

"That's because it's built into the canyon and it allows clearer views of the ocean from your deck and main living space." Coulson gestures for them to follow. "Over to the right we have the formal living room that can be expanded to an outside deck by opening the sliding glass doors. And over to your left is the formal dining area. What you'll notice in this house is while there is some traditional division, there's a lot of open areas when possible. Also a lot of modern design and clean lines."

"I don't know," Bruce says in an uncertain fashion. "It feels maybe too modern for me. A little cold."

"Are you saying I'm cold?" Tony asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No. Even the penthouse seems a little warmer than this. This feels more like a vacation home than somewhere you raise your kids," Bruce answers with a shrug.

"They'll be cool, modern kids," Tony posits and Bruce chuckles as Coulson leads them into the kitchen.

"The kitchen is completely new and modern."

"I feel like there's really about the same amount of cabinet space as the last house," Bruce points out and Tony nods in agreement as he looks around. "But the view is still nice."

"And it opens up onto more eating and entertaining space outside on the deck," Coulson says as he shows them. "The thing about this home is it really does give you a lot of entertaining space and extra room for guests."

"I… I almost feel like there's _too_ much," Bruce hedges. "It already feels like we're drowning in square footage we would never actually use."

"I'm sure we'd use it," Tony counters as they come back in and follow Coulson. "It's pretty much a blank canvas. We can redecorate and make it warmer like you want. Find purposes for the rooms that meet our needs." Bruce hitches a shoulder and nods.

"Around the corner here we have the family room. It has some nice built ins. A modern fireplace and bar."

"Definitely a more generous bar than the last place," Tony says.

"If you're into that sort of thing," Bruce retorts. "But it's decent. I like the built ins and different furniture might help the space."

"Also on the main floor we have the master suite," Coulson explains and leads them to that part of the house.

"I like the layout better than the last house," Tony says immediately. "And the fireplace."

"It still feels like a resort though," Bruce counters. "I'm having a hard time imagining our furniture in here. But I guess it's definitely a blank slate. It's got good lines to work with. And the view is nice even if I liked the other balcony a little better."

"I don't like this bathroom," Tony says as soon as they reach the en suite. "It's not my taste at all. I'm not into the basin tub and the vanity is… a little too feminine."

"Absolutely agreed," Bruce remarks. "It's usable, but it would need to be changed to suit our needs eventually I think. This is more powder room than master bath. And…" He walks over to the shower. "There's a window in the shower? Did you design this, Tony?" he asks with a chuckle.

"I might have," Tony says as he moves into the shower and looks out.

"It's not like anyone could see you all the way up here," Coulson interjects. "Not without hawk eyes. Or binoculars."

"Both not outside the realm of plausibility," Bruce counters. "Not sure how I feel about that."

"Alright, well, you can change it," he suggests. "Let's go look at the other five rooms on the bottom level."

"I don't really think we need that many rooms," Bruce comments as they follow. "Again, it feels like too much."

"We could adopt five kids," Tony remarks playfully. He then stops on one of the stairs and inspects the banister. "I think we'd have to change this railing. Design and engineering wise both, I'm just not a fan of it and I don't think it'd be good if we did have kids."

"Agree," Bruce says, "but I've noticed it's all through the house. There's a lot of things we'd have to change already and this house is more than the max budget we agreed on."

"Fair point."

_Phil shows them the remaining bedrooms, great room, and bathrooms before showing them the bonus guest suite complete with small kitchen._

"I guess Jennifer might use it when she visits," Bruce says to the guest suite with a shrug.

"We could hire a live-in nanny," Tony suggests.

"Absolutely not."

"On that note, let's head back outdoors," Coulson says and leads them out through one of the doors. "As you can see this house also has a pool with a jet spa included. Amazing view of the ocean and still some yard."

"The pool doesn't have the same charm as the other one," Tony says.

"Did _you_ just say that?" Bruce asks incredulously.

"But you've got to admit that view is incredible," Tony continues. "Clear blue ocean and sky."

"And the main road right there," Bruce interjects dryly. Tony frowns. "I'm kidding. It is incredible. It feels more like you'd expect living in Malibu would be like."

 

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_So far this couple has seen a traditional-style budget friendly house that has charm, but could use some updating and a Tuscan-style modern home that breaks the budget and doesn’t quite deliver everything on their wish list. Their agent has one last house to show them which he hopes will be a blend of what both men are looking for._

"I don't know if this is house is perfect," Coulson says to the camera, "but I think it's really a happy medium between the traditional and modern. It has the space and amenities that Tony is looking for, but in the charming, traditional layout that might appeal to Bruce."

"Much better curb appeal," Bruce says first as they pull into the drive.

"Feels sort of stately," Tony remarks as they get out. "And I know it's Spanish style, but we'd have to paint it. I couldn't handle this color indefinitely."

"Not really my taste either," Bruce agrees.

"Well, that's not what an agent likes to hear first," Coulson says as he joins them. This is a 5 bedroom, 6 bath house currently listed at 4.3 million so it's near the top of your budget, but with enough room to negotiate or make updates."

"Oh wow," Tony says when they come into the entryway and Bruce bites back a grimace, "they really like this color."

"I'm trying to get past the cosmetic changes we'd definitely have to make here enough to actually take in the layout," Bruce admits.

"Well, the key word there is these would all be easy cosmetic fixes," Coulson reasons. "But you have this lovely staircase and a lot of dramatic architectural features."

"I guess that's true," Bruce says, weighing his head back and forth. "I really do like this staircase. Definitely more than the last house and with a few changes maybe more than the first because it is a little more dramatic."

"I don't get this sitting room," Tony says, moving on ahead to the sitting room just ahead. "It's… I don't know what I can say without being rude, but I don't like anything about it as is."

"I don't either," Bruce agrees. "It's just really cramped and the fireplace feels like an afterthought."

"It actually feels small in comparison to the spaces at that first house," Tony chimes in.

"Well, this house actually has about a thousand square feet more," Coulson tells them in a matter-of-fact tone. "On the other side of this small sitting room as you can see is the formal dining area."

"No," Bruce says with a shake of his head. "I just… I can't imagine a family dinner here," he says.

"Or the kids doing their homework here," Tony adds in agreement as Bruce nods.

"I can't even imagine having a formal dinner with friends or colleagues in this space. Sorry, Phil, but I'm having a hard time with this one so far."

"Let's try the kitchen," Coulson says evenly and they follow him.

"Huh," Tony says. "It's definitely the grandest."

"Doesn't make it better," Bruce replies. "But, I don't hate it. I actually like the darker stain on the cabinets. The island is a nice size and there's more than enough storage. Actually, I'm thinking this kitchen might have gone a little overboard with the cabinets."

"Wait," Tony walks over to some of the cabinets, "what's this? It looks a little out of place with the rest."

"Hidden refrigerators," Coulson answers and opens them.

"Not my design choice," Bruce remarks, "but I think it's a bit stranger having two refrigerators."

"Unless we adopt 5 kids," Tony teases again.

"Oh god. I'm beginning to think you want to," Bruce says with an amused shake of his head. He then heads towards the end of the kitchen. "I like that it opens up onto one of the living spaces. The first house didn't do that at all and the second one, it was open, sure, but the distance between the two spaces wouldn't really make it very conducive for feeling like you're a part of what's going on in the other space."

"And since Bruce does most of the cooking, that's important for him," Tony adds with a nod. "That said, it's not much of a family space for it to open onto. Again, it's feels really small."

"I like the traditional feel of the layout though," Bruce comments. "I'd just maybe change the fireplace and the furniture would definitely be different."

"We have a patio right off the space here," Coulson says, "with a grill and amazing view. You'll find this house gives you views of both the mountains and ocean. And even some of the city."

"Oh well that's good," Bruce says. "That's a nice compromise."

"This way to the master suite," Coulson directs and they follow him back to the stairs. It's the first room when they get to the top. "You'll see that it's definitely a little smaller than the others and more traditional, but it also breaks up the sitting room so you have a small space with a mini bar. And you have a generous patio, again with amazing views."

"It would definitely need some cosmetic changes," Tony says, "but it's good. And you could still do your meditation there, babe," he says to Bruce.

"I was thinking that, yeah."

"Then on the other side of the suite we have your master bath."

"Oh no," they both say in unison as they look around, shaking their heads.

"Definitely no," Tony says. "There's absolutely nothing here I can live with. I've been called a gaudy person—"

"And you can be," Bruce ribs. "But, no, not this. This doesn't reflect either of us."

"I don't even think we could both fit in that tub," Tony says, pointing to it.

"It might shock you that there are couples that don't bathe together," Coulson deadpans and then leads them on. "There you have your master closet and off the bathroom here we have a bonus room. It does have a separate entrance, but you can use it for a private office or nursery."

"Nursery probably makes sense. Yoga room, maybe," Bruce says with a considering shrug.

"But you'd have to remember to keep that door locked if you aren't using it for a nursery or else anyone would have access to your master suite and that doesn't really make sense," Tony points out.

Phil shows them the rest of the bedrooms upstairs and additional bathrooms. Both men agree that most of the rooms need some kind of cosmetic change, the bathrooms feel a little dated, and the rooms feels small even if there are more than the first house.

"It feels like they wanted to have more bedrooms so they opted for smaller ones," Bruce remarks as they follow Coulson outside.

"The pool is smaller than the other two places," Tony notices immediately.

"As is the entertaining space in general. The second place had, what, a fire pit?" Tony nods. "And the first place definitely had enough room to add a feature like that or a grill. Maybe both."

"Well, you do have the grilling area already," Coulson points out. "But you've also got a few features the other house didn't have. There's a sports court on the other side of the house that can be used for various activities and a lot of yard."

"That could be fun," Tony admits.

"And I like the idea of plenty of yard. I feel like yard space was lacking in the second house."

"So, what do you think?" Coulson asks. "Are you guys finally ready to make an offer?"

"I think…" Bruce glances at Tony. "I think we have some thinking to do." Tony nods.

 

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_Tony and Bruce have spent the past four years in what has felt like a whirlwind romance._

"I honestly think it was love at first sight," Tony says.

"Maybe lust at first sight," Bruce says with a thin smile. "On my part anyways because I don't think there's much on my end to lust after."

"That's a lie."

  _And both men have said their relationship has been filled with compromise._

"I mean it was a bit of an adjustment to, you know, live in one spot again," Bruce says with a hitch of his shoulder. "And readjusting to a more, more, uh, materialistic city way of life that I'd sort of gotten away from. But I don't regret having married him." Bruce smiles at him. "And he's been amazingly supportive."

"We travel a lot," Tony explains. "Which is great. Traveling with Bruce is always amazing. And my company has expanded its philanthropy work and we sponsor a lot of humanitarian events now with Bruce's oversight. I help out as I can, but when I'm too busy sometimes he leaves for a few weeks at a time to go do what he needs to. Not always easy, but we've learned to find the give and take."

_But now that this couple has decided to settle down in Malibu with sights set on starting a family they're finding out that compromise may only be the beginning if they want to find a house that works for both of them. Their agent Phil Coulson has shown them three homes that have most of the items on the men's wish lists, but offer very different styles._

_First they saw a budget friendly traditional with rustic charm, listed at a price that gives the couple plenty of room to remodel._

"You know I really like that first house," Bruce says, turning his head to look at Tony beside him. Both men are sitting on the beach with their arms propped on their knees as they discuss the potential properties. "Something about it really screamed home to me. But I'll admit I might be a little biased when it comes to the idea of traditional, you know, average houses."

"No, it was nice," Tony says with a shrug. "I don't think it's right for us as is. But I can see the sort of romantic appeal of it. Very suburbia. Complete opposite of the penthouse. And that yard was by far the best of all the three. Already breathtaking with potential for more customization."

_The second house was a modern house near the ocean that offered a near blank canvas. But at 500,000 dollars over Bruce's preferred maximum budget, it would mean they'd have to spend even more to make changes._

"So, what about that second one?" Bruce asks, squinting his eyes a little in the sun and running his hand through his windblown hair.

"It's more turn-key than the others," Tony answers. "There are some changes we would need to make, but nothing immediate. Beside my upgrading the tech, of course," he says.

"Of course," Bruce says. "I agree the projects don't feel like they would need immediate attention, but do you think it's too much? I mean, I'm not sure what our lifestyle will be two, three, four years from now. Will we need that space then or will we think it's not practical for, you know, a toddler?"

"Yeah, there might be some concern with the master suite being on one floor and the rest being on the other. And I'm not sure I like the master being so close to the living space in general. And that bathroom just didn't work for me at all."

"Nope."

_The third option is a Spanish-style house that would need a lot of cosmetic changes and a few updates, but otherwise has a blend of architectural detail and lots of space._

"That third house," Tony starts, cheeks puffed out, and then exhales. "I don't know. I didn't hate everything in theory, but at the same time there's so much we'd have to change."

"It's below our budget though," Bruce reasons. "It has good bones that could blend both of our tastes."

"But only if we start over from scratch with renovations," Tony hedges. "Starting with that horrible bathroom." Bruce chuckles.

"Yeah, it would be more of an extensive renovation. Not sure how I feel about that. There is the view though. The view is, in my opinion, more on par with the first house than the second. And I guess we could even make some landscaping changes." He glances at Tony. "So if we were to eliminate one."

"It might surprise you, but I say house number two." Bruce blinks, looking pleasantly surprised.

"Really?"

"Really," Tony says with a nod. "I mean price aside it's not a place I could picture myself driving home to after one of my days at the office. And even I have to admit that I think going back to the penthouse after a long day would feel more like home because the space just makes more sense. Good for a vacation home like you said though, but it's actually not _my_ preferred version of modern."

"I'm glad because I agree. Sure, I'd live anywhere and we could make it work, but I'd rather start with something less modern and then move later if we feel we need that much space. So that leaves the super traditional house and the overhaul. I think I know which one I want."

"I think I do too," Tony agrees with a smile and looks at Bruce.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And I'm actually very excited about this next step together." Bruce smiles and they lean in to share a quick kiss.

"Me too."

_So which house did they choose?_

"In the end… we chose…" Bruce looks at Tony and then the camera.

"The traditional house," Tony answers and Bruce smiles. "I know. I wasn't sold on a traditional at first. I've never considered myself the kind of guy to want a nice house in the country—"

"Suburbia," Bruce corrects with a chuckle.

"Right, right. Same difference," Tony jokes. "But I think I actually changed my mind the moment we got out of the car and Bruce's eyes lit up like it was a dream come true." Bruce purses his lips and ducks his head sheepishly before glancing at Tony. "I'm used to getting all of the things I want in life, but now I have a wonderful husband who makes everything worth it. I could tell he could picture our future together there so that was most important to me."

 

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_It's been four months since Bruce and Tony said goodbye to Manhattan and moved across the country to Malibu. Since purchasing their traditional home, the two men have made several changes._

"Well, we knew this house needed a little work," Bruce remarks to the camera from where he and Tony are sitting on the couch in their new living room. "Tony is a tech genius so he always makes a space very modern in that sense."

"I upgraded the connections, added speakers throughout the house. USB ports and made most things digital," Tony explains. "From the refrigerator to the shower, honestly." Bruce nods. "Definitely a smart house now."

"And then we changed the fireplaces like we talked about. They're much nicer now. We even found a way to compromise on the one in the master bedroom. We added hardwood floors throughout all of the house and… I let Tony get heated floors for the bedrooms."

"The great room was fun. I was able to turn one half of it into a really great home theater and there was plenty of room left over to have some of the things I loved having at the penthouse like some fitness equipment and recreational stuff."

"The last major change we made was that sunken area in the family room," Bruce says. "Turns out it really wasn't that hard since there weren't any major electrical changes to make and since we were redoing the floors and fireplace anyhow. It's given us a better working layout and Tony was able to redo the bar to something better suited for entertaining."

_And the changes don't stop there._

"Since moving in," Tony says, "we've made friends with the surrounding neighbors in spite of our sort of wish to be a little more private. There's a great bunch of eclectic couples and families in our neighborhood that we get along well with. Even Bruce here has opened up more," he teases as he helps Bruce in the kitchen. Bruce laughs and shakes his head. "We definitely do a lot more entertaining than we expected initially."

_The two men also recently added a puppy to their home in anticipation of another big change on the horizon._

"You want the ball?" Tony moves a cloth ball back and forth as a puppy eyes it back and forth. "Go get it!"

"Well, it was Tony really," Bruce says to the camera with a laugh. "He knows I love dogs and have wanted a dog for a while, but it didn't make sense back in Manhattan. At least I didn't think so. But," he looks at Tony as he walks over with the puppy in his arms, "we found out recently that there's a very good chance we'll be expanding our family a little sooner than we'd expected so naturally this idiot rushed out and bought a puppy to celebrate." He laughs and the puppy squirms in Tony's arms so he takes him.

"Honestly," Tony says, "I don't regret this decision at all. After all of the renovations and new friends that we've made and just how happy we already are here…" Tony shakes his head with a broad smile. "This was definitely meant to be our home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope they picked the house you were rooting for XD Since they're more like average people, I decided not to have them go mansion shopping and pick Tony's movie mansion - although I _almost_ went that route before they became more average than their movie counterparts. The houses that were featured in this were loosely inspired by actual homes found in Malibu on Zillow as I was looking at lots of homes for design inspiration, layouts, price points, etc. (Sorry to the sellers for the harsh commentary here and there tbh and tbh Idk if I'd pick the same house as them lol so idek.) 
> 
> The three main (though not exclusive) inspirations for the homes (some features/details/room counts taken from other homes in the area) -   
> [Home 1](http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/23201-W-Paloma-Blanca-Dr-Malibu-CA-90265/20552996_zpid/), [Home 2](http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4400-Encinal-Canyon-Rd-Malibu-CA-90265/79804185_zpid/), [Home 3](http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/600-Schueren-Rd-Malibu-CA-90265/20552896_zpid/)
> 
> And now I have so many feelings where I want them to like just be your average suburban dads in this cute little community where the other Avengers (the implied new friends) live. Like Maybe Thor and Jane live across the street along with Darcy who's crashing there for a while. And then maybe there's Clint and Natasha next door and Tony's relatively convinced they don't actually have a kosher job and are spies or something. Steve's probably the head of the Home Owner's Association or whatever else community thing they have set up if any. I have no idea who has kids and if those kids are established Marvel characters, but yes to like all of my feelings right now. It's helped me with my sadness. (Although I'm still having a hard time with 'wording' on my other fics I'm working on *sigh*)
> 
> [I updated the Author Notes at the beginning of this work with Chapter Summaries/Ratings. Also, I have at least five other ideas that struck me when I opened these prompts up again. Maybe I'll end up finishing this thing before the other WIP fics I wanted to finish, but are giving me headaches - looking at you especially FWBFWF.]


	33. Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is semi-AoU compliant, but you'll have to read to understand. This has Tony!whump, a little less stated Bruce!whump and a bit of h/c. TW: angst, implied suicidal thoughts, self-hatred, etc.

As Tony pulled up to his newly rebuilt Malibu mansion (well, it'd been finished for a while; he was just never there) he wasn't sure if he was glad to be home. After the year he'd had he wasn't sure what home meant, where home even was if anywhere. It definitely wasn't back in New York. Not anymore at least. Sure, he'd built a new facility for the team, but his heart wasn't in it to stick around. Not after what had almost happened in Sokovia, what they'd nearly lost and what he _had_ lost.

Home would never be a farmhouse either. He wasn't sure why he kept with the ruse that Pepper never said, "This just isn't working, Tony." (Other than perhaps a little wounded ego from having screwed things up, mixed with loneliness.) She'd said it months ago.

She'd said it before Sokovia. She'd said it when she realized he would never be able to give up his suits forever for her sake. When she realized clean slate had only meant 'fresh start for my Iron Legion' and that the removal of his arc reactor couldn't stop him from being Iron Man. When she realized two months after he started spending time with Bruce again that maybe she wasn't the one thing he couldn't live without after all. And even Tony had enough propriety to know that saying the wrong person's name while receiving a blowjob is pretty unforgivable.

In his defense, he _had_ been just as surprise that his attraction to Bruce had started to run that deep. Deeper still he realized a while later when he finally let himself analyze his confusing, unrequited feelings. But none of it mattered. Pepper deserved better so she was gone and he knew it was for the best. And Bruce had been seemingly on the verge of starting something with Natasha, but now he was gone too and maybe that was also for the best. It didn't hurt any less to think about how he'd driven his best friend away, of course.

Tony may have just barely prevented his vision of a world where all of the people he cared about were dead, but he hadn't prevented the part where he ended up alone. He couldn't just call Rhodey because he was part of a new team, one that felt fractured and strange to Tony which was his fault. He couldn't call Pepper like the old days, couldn't depend on her to get him through his messiness – also his fault. He couldn't call Happy because of situational awkwardness it might cause now that he was the one seeing Pepper. He had no clue where Bruce even was, definitely more his fault than Natasha's even if she'd confided to him that she felt like it was hers for never knowing who she was or what she wanted (whatever that meant). Tony was alone and it was all his fault.

Tony entered his empty mansion and leaned against the door. There was too much space and no warmth, just like that damn wormhole. He sucked in a breath and looked around. He suddenly just wished he could go back to that cave in Afghanistan and let himself die. If this was what it meant to have nothing again after having had everything, he didn't want it. At the moment he wishes he could have gone on having everything and nothing if it meant not losing it.

"I don't know what to do, JARVIS," he said, unsure of how he managed to get the words past his tight throat at all. "I'm all alone. Talk to me, buddy. I just... I need somebody to talk to me."

"Sir, do you wish for me to call someone for assistance? Your vital signs indicate an acute anxiety attack."

"Oh god," Tony gasped the words and slid down the door to the floor as the world spun around him.

It wasn't JARVIS that answered because JARVIS was gone and it was all his fault. Everyone was gone.

"I did this," he choked out as flashes of the vision he'd seen that had started this path flooded his mind's eye. Everything was his fault. It would always be his fault. "I did this," he sobbed again.

FRIDAY's voice buzzed in his ear, but he couldn't make out what she was saying and her voice was all wrong.

"I'm all alone," he mumbled, eyes closed tight.

"Tony? Tony, can you hear me?"

Tony thought he heard Bruce's voice somewhere far away. But that was impossible. Maybe he was finally losing his mind. Maybe he was finally spiraling out of control towards some endless abyss.

"Tony, _please_ …"

Tony opened his eyes, but instead of his empty mansion he was staring up at a blurry ceiling and a blurry figure hovering just above him. He closed his eyes and opened them again a few times until that blurry figure came into focus.

"Bruce?"

"Oh, thank goodness," Bruce exhaled the words and practically crumbled in front of him. He sat down in a chair beside the bed and fell forward, actually crying. "I thought... I've been…" Bruce seemed unable to finish any of his thoughts. "You're awake," he finally managed.

Tony swallowed hard, unsure of what was happening. He reached out tentatively and let his fingers brush against Bruce's arm and then his head. He… Oh god, _he was real_. He was really there. Tony's heart beat faster at the feeling of Bruce.

He scrunched his face when he registered the sound of his heartbeat on a nearby machine. He turned his head finally to look around him and he discovered he was in a large hospital room. Very large as there were several chairs on one side and on the other there was even a couch, that looked like it had been recently used for a bed if the displaced pillow and blanket was any indication.

"Bruce?" Tony seemed unable to say anything other than his friend's name and continue to cautiously pet his unruly hair. It seemed even more unruly than he remembered. Bruce lifted his head and his wet and tired looking eyes met his own, also suddenly wet at the intense contact.

"JARVIS," Bruce said, wiping his eyes and sitting up straight. Tony missed the contact immediately as he pulled his hand away, but then Bruce caught the hand in his own. "JARVIS, tell everyone Tony's awake immediately."

"Yes, Dr. Banner." Tony choked on a gasp and the water in his eyes increased. The heart machine began to go crazy and Bruce both squeezed his hand and looked at it in clear worry. "Welcome back, sir. You've been sorely missed."

" _I've_ been missed?" Tony managed tightly. He looked at Bruce. "I… JARVIS is _gone_. He… How is he… I don't… understand…" He shook his head manically.

"Relax, Tony, please," Bruce urged, squeezing his hand again and moving his other hand to Tony's shoulder. Tony realized then that he'd been trying to sit forward in a panic. "Don't strain yourself. I wouldn't be able to… to stand it if…" He closed his eyes and looked down, fighting more tears if Tony was reading his expression right.

"If what?" Tony looked at him for answers as he took as many deep breaths as he could manage.

"You left us, Tony. You… You've been unconscious for… so long," Bruce replied brokenly as he looked up again.

"I have?" Tony furrowed his brow.

"So long, Tony," Bruce reiterated. "We thought… _I_ thought…" He looked at him intently, "I thought you'd never come back." His voice was barely a hoarse whisper, but Tony heard what wasn't said loud and clear even if it didn't seem possible.

It didn't seem possible, not as real as his dream had seemed, or maybe this was the dream he worried, but he wasn't going to question it. Instead he pulled Bruce closer, slowly, their eyes closing in tandem. Their lips met in a small, tender, hesitant kind of kiss. Tony felt relief settle over him as they pulled apart to study one another's reaction.

"I thought _I'd_ lost _you_ ," Tony said. "I… I thought I'd lost everyone and it was all my fault. I thought I was alone." He searched Bruce's face. "I… I thought _you'd_ never come back," he echoed, "and I'd never get to tell you—"

He didn't have to finish as their lips seemed to agree that one kiss wasn't enough. It still didn't make sense. Bruce felt the same? What about Natasha? What about his running off? Was it really just a dream and Bruce was still here and… more?

The way their lips touched a little more openly this time seemed suddenly realer than his nightmare had been. It had to be true. Everything was still okay. He _wasn't_ alone. 

"Well, that didn't take long," Clint's voice ruined the moment and Bruce pulled away in shock.

"Did you think it would?" Natasha asked with a laugh. "Bruce has barely left his side the last three months."

Tony looked at Bruce to see him duck his head. Suddenly the couch made sense. And maybe the unkempt appearance. He hoped Bruce had at least had the sense to function somewhat like a normal human being the past…

"Three months?!" Tony's brain finally caught up to that part of the statement. Bruce helped him move the bed to a more upright position. "What happened?"

"We had a mission," Steve unsurprisingly was the one to speak up, back straight and face solemn. The others looked solemn too and behind him Rhodey and Sam shuffled in, Rhodey pushing through the others to stand closer; his face said how relieved he was without words and Tony smiled at him before looking back at Steve. "I don't know if you remember us taking down Hydra bases, but—"

"No, I remember," Tony said, blanching. Bruce noticed his reaction and was suddenly half seated on the hospital bed with him, entwining their fingers. It helped. "We were…" He took a breath. "We were in Sokovia?"

"Yeah," Steve said soberly after a moment of everyone looking rather uncomfortable. "Strucker had the scepter."

"Did we get it?" Tony's eyes widened. "Where is it? Destroy it!" He couldn't be sure if the scepter was even as harmful as his dream had made it out to be, but he wasn't about to take any chances. And he sure as hell wasn't going to make Ultron!

"Uh," Steve looked a little confused, "Thor took it off world shortly after you went comatose. He said it wasn't safe. And we learned that it was used in experiments on the twins," he explained. Tony sucked in a breath. "You okay? Maybe this is too much." Steve looked at Bruce uncertainly.

"He might be right, Tony." Bruce squeezed his hand and looked down at him. "You've just woken up and it's a lot to take in. Maybe you should wait until you're more rested."

"No," Tony shook his head determinedly. "I need answers. You… You don't understand. I've spent the last three months watching my world fall apart." He swallowed hard. "I nearly destroyed the world. And…" He glanced up at Bruce. "I watched you give in to Natasha's advances—"

"Advances?" Natasha cut him off incredulously. "Just because I've gotten close to Bruce as a friend doesn't mean I'm coming on to him, Tony."

"Right? Nat and I are close, but that doesn't mean we're together," Clint pointed out. Although he glanced away like he wasn't comfortable with the statement.

"You had a wife and kids," Tony replied quickly, looking at Clint.

"Uh… okay." Clint looked skeptical. "I know I'm not exactly the most responsible guy around, but you realize I've spent the past year… well, before you went under," he shrugged, "playing superhero, right? That kind of screams deadbeat. It'd be different if I was a soldier or something else like that, but I'm not."

"It was just a dream, Tony," Bruce said, concern etched in his expression. "And the only advances I would ever give into are yours," he added sheepishly. "You… I thought it was obvious… before… even before it happened. I even knew, Tony. About Pepper. That you weren't really together," he confessed.

"Courtesy of me," Natasha chimed in. "How's that for advances," she added with a snort. "You're an idiot, Stark. But it's good to have you back."

"Back from Oz apparently," Clint interjected. "Dorothy here had a dream and we were all there," he teased.

"It wasn't a dream, Barton," Tony snapped. They all looked at him in surprise. "I mean… It was, but it was more than that. It was... it was  _hell._ You would have died if it wasn't for one of those twins saving you, Clint." He saw Clint pale and look down. "And I created Ultron—"

"You did?" Bruce queried.

"We did," he answered, unable to look at him. "And it was a mistake. He nearly ended everything. And I lost JARVIS too. And then—" He began to break again as he recalled it. "It _wasn't_ a dream."

"It wasn't." Tony's blood chilled and the others moved so that he could see the female twin – was her name still Wanda? – standing in the door. "Not exactly. You were unconscious and in a dream state, but your mind... It created a different reality. A warped one based on your subconscious, fears and hopes and... and maybe a little of my own," she said in thought. "It took such a strong hold that the dream would have felt real. And it's my fault."

"You touched me. You showed me a vision of…" He couldn't finish. He wondered how she could even be standing there so freely.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I know what it is you saw, even some bits and pieces of those other things after that... But all I did was delve into your mind to pull out your worst fear."

"The vision? Everyone… Being the only one left," he rephrased. She nodded.

"But it was more powerful than I was ready for. Your fear…" She shivered. "It ran so deep. And your determination to stop it from happening was stronger than I could overcome. You went comatose and I… I became catatonic for several days. You must have taken that fear and believed it so deeply that it warped your reality. I…" She bit her lip. "Or I lost control of my powers and warped it for you. I don't know. I'm only sorry I ever…" She looked away. "In my own catatonic state I had visions of a monster of your own creation. Of losing my brother." She looked at her twin who'd joined her a moment before.

"That happened in my dream," Tony affirmed. He could see from her profile that she'd wrenched her eyes shut in pain. Her brother soothed her. 

"Wanda has been trying to slowly bring you back for weeks," Bruce said in a low voice. "She's been trying to find subtle ways to trigger your mind to realize you were dreaming and wake up."

"I was afraid to try at first," Wanda admitted. "I was afraid I'd make it worse, especially if I shocked you back to consciousness. Then… it seemed like none of my tricks were working. They were too subtle to make you question reality. I tried one more time, but I was afraid if it didn't work there'd be nothing left to to do. Do you remember a conversation?"

Tony furrowed his brow and considered the question. Suddenly it came back to him. There had been a conversation at the new facility. It was just him and her and an awkward amends between them, but she'd said… some weird things…

"You kept saying nothing felt real," he said, eyes going wide. "You were trying to suggest it wasn't?"

"Because we all know how that worked out in _Inception_ ," Clint commented.

Tony flinched, as did Bruce. Tony squeezed Bruce's hand and looked up at him.

"Not helping, Clint," Steve chastised.

"I don't know what Inception is," Wanda said in an uncomfortable tone. "But you mean it could be dangerous to have gone that far at all?" Clint shrugged. "He woke up on his own and it took him two weeks to even respond to the suggestion, so we don't know it wasn't something else," she said defensively.

"After the hell I've been through," Tony said after a moment, "I think I'd be crazy if that was the reality I'd want to go back to. You're all still here. And Bruce…" Bruce gave a thin smile in understanding. "Well, Bruce," he said simply, knowing nothing else needed to be said to make his point known. "So I can't say I even care at the moment if _this_ is the warped reality."

He looked at all of his friends, his teammates, the family he'd thought he'd lost, and then at the physicist who was still right at his side and making Tony feel safe and content and hopeful in spite of the brick that had just been dropped on his head. He still had a lot to wrap his mind around, he knew that much, but right now he was just glad to be where he was.

"I don't want a different reality than this," Tony declared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. ESSENTIALLY MY 'IT WAS ALL JUST A DREAM' AoU FIX IT - aka saw the prompt and thought jokingly 'yeah well the MCU is like some horrible nightmare now to me so...'  
> 2\. Obvious inspiration from Inception, with the triggers and 'the dream feels real' stuff.  
> 3\. Also kept thinking about that one episode of Young Justice where Miss Martian's power spirals out of control and warps the mind share simulation.  
> 4\. The reality warping concept in general is a shout out to comic!Wanda.  
> 5\. As implied, Pietro's death and most of the twin stuff was projections/fragments from Wanda when she delved into his mind and lost control.  
> 6\. The 'subtle hints' was my way of poking fun at the plot holes or logic fails in AoU, such as why JARVIS is somehow strong enough to combat Ultron even after Tony specifically says he's nowhere near the level of sentience that they use to create Ultron, Natasha not being able to get herself out of danger because seriously the hell?, etc.  
> 7\. Bruce is probably thinking Tony has really bad 3 month coma breath tbh... sorry, couldn't resist.
> 
> If I don't upload anything for a little bit it's because this month is usually busy for me and also I need to take a little bit of a writing hiatus - tbh I'll still be writing, but just not nearly as much (I have a limit on myself the next couple of weeks) since I feel burnout coming on and I definitely DNW!!!! Especially not with the fics I want to finish, ficlet ideas I have, etc. If anything at all gets updated over the next couple of weeks it will probably be this series since I do have a few other short entries nearly completed for it. My multichapter fics very likely won't be until after those 2 weeks and maybe not until the very end of the month.


	34. Star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an excerpt from a sort of steampunk, deep space AU idea that struck me when I read this prompt (possibly subconsciously inspired by an old Cherik fic) thus a lot is left unexplained even though I have most of the other details in my head about his verse. The main thing to really know for the setting is the characters are still humanoids, but they aren't on Earth (aren't Terrans to be more Marvel-specific). This definitely takes place in a different part of space.

"Well, well, well." Darcy looked him over with a smirk as he came into the newly updated Astronomy building of the university. "Look who's finally out of the library."

Bruce frowned at the young woman. Darcy Lewis was a student there to study interplanetary political science, but she was fulfilling the internship required of all students under astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster. She was short and exuberantly energetic with dark, wavy tresses worn down rather than up as was the usual style of other men and women in her desired field - say nothing of all of the other traits about her that made everyone wonder how she might succeed in politics - and she seemed to Bruce always to have an impish countenance. At the sight of her Bruce did his best not to develop a headache before he even got to his main reason for being there.

"I'm here to see, Dr. Foster," he said evenly.

Darcy huffed and rolled her eyes. "Always so proper," she said as she turned. Bruce followed. " _Jane_ is in the observatory. You really need to lighten up."

"That's what _I_ keep telling him," Tony cut in eagerly behind him and Darcy spun around as if startled by his presence. "He's actually quite nice to be around if you can manage it." Tony looked at him with his lips twisted sideways, judging him yet again for his tendency to tiptoe.

Darcy blinked and shifted her eyes back and forth between them. "Okay. What's going on here? Who is _this_ fellow? And since when do you have any friends to accompany you?"

"Friend may be overstating our relationship a little," Bruce said with a sigh. "I really need to speak with Jane." He glanced at Tony warily. "Preferably alone. Think you can entertain my _acquaintance_ while I do so?" He looked back at Darcy.

Darcy gasped melodramatically. "Why, Dr. Banner. Are you actually proposing that I, an innocent young female, stay alone with a deliciously handsome stranger who may have untoward designs?" Bruce's mouth parted and his eyes narrowed. "How improper of you."

"Innocent? Really?" Bruce raised an eyebrow, and ignored the strange sensation in his stomach the rest of her comment had induced. "Because I've caught you in the stacks far too many times to know that's not at all the case."

"Jealous?" She raised an eyebrow back. "Because, you should know, I have _nothing_ against an established man." Her smirk was probably meant to be coquettish, but it failed as far as he was concerned.

"Why would he be jealous?" Tony questioned, scowling fiercely at the younger woman. "It's quite obvious he's not attracted to you."

"How would _you_ know?" Darcy challenged, probably just to be ornery. 

Bruce sighed and ignored the strange argument over his feelings of attraction. "Just stay out of trouble, please," he asked of Tony and gave Darcy a sharp glare he hoped she would know meant not to cause problems either.

Bruce then made his way to the observatory. It was the finest and most powerful observatory in their sector so Bruce could hardly blame the young astrophysicist from losing hours upon hours in it - like he himself lost time in the solitude and vast knowledge provided by the university's great library. And he had to admit that he loved reading or just lounging under the stars at night so the breathtaking view of whatever galaxy the telescope was turned toward painting the domed ceiling - much like a planetarium attempted to mimic for those unable to view the stars up close - was no hard thing to fall in love with. It was like being surrounded by the universe.

"Dr. Banner?" Jane took note of him first. She looked up at him as he approached from the opposite side of her work table. She had a screen projection in front of her, the advanced and practical way of logging and storing information, but the table was littered with old-fashioned charts and one - quite an old one from the archives Bruce could tell with a quick glance - was scrolled out atop all the rest. Jane quickly turned the nob of the stardust lamp in front of the computer so that the light was shaded, causing the projection to flicker out. She then gave him a friendly, questioning smile. "What brings you by?"

Bruce glanced at the open chart and licked his lips, considering how to approach the ludicrous topic. He took a breath and decided perhaps it made sense to just come right out with it. "Are you familiar with the, uh, the legend about Star-Lords?"

"Every star in the galaxy has a keeper and that keeper's soul is tied to the heart of the star and vice versa," Jane spouted in a verbatim tone. Bruce glanced up at her to see there was a small line between her eyebrows. "Everybody knows that legend, Bruce. Why?"

"I..." She studied him and he decided he wasn't able to come right out and say things. "I was reading about it. I was... I guess I was curious about your opinion on it. Since you study the stars, do you think there's any truth to the tales?"

"Truth?" Jane queried. "I don't know. I've never given that aspect much study, I'll admit." He watched her walk over to another small table off to the side as she simultaneously unpinned her hair. She stopped, combed her fingers through a few times and then began to pin it back up again. She turned and looked at him. "But if there's one common theme of that which I have studied," she said around a bobby pin between her lips before pausing to remove it and add it to her hair. Her hands then fell. "It's that truth as we know it is often very removed from truth as it is. It's not even been two centuries since we realized the once preposterous theory of other humanoid beings like ourselves in other parts of the galaxy is actually true. And-and," she added, eyes lighting up as if excited to discuss it, "what about the nine realms? We thought that was a child's tale. Asgard was a myth until it wasn't," she said with a shrug and warm smile.

"So you think it's possible?" Bruce interpreted as she began fiddling with a crude contraption for the purpose of making coffee. He could see from where he stood that it was a dated model without her frustrated jostling of the gears and gadgets that made it work. Tony could probably wink at the machine and make it work better than new, like one of the finer machines found in a stately home, Bruce mused with a small smile. 

"For such an elite university one would think they could spare a few coins now and then on the faculty," she said with a sigh, breaking Bruce from his musings. She'd managed to get the contraption going and was looking at him again. "But do I think it's possible? Certainly. All things are possible." She tilted her head forward in a small, scrutinizing way.

"Of course," he said with a soft snort. "Forgive my rusty usage of scientific jargon. It's been a few years." He wasn't bitter anymore about that, he told himself. He rephrased, "Do you think it's _probable_?"

"Not with the lack of evidence so far," she answered easily. "There haven't been enough sound claims over the years and none of them have been verified. Are there even any stories out there of people who've _been_ to Xandar?" she quizzed.

"A few," he answered based on the sheer amount of reading he'd done the past few days. 

"Huh," Jane toned as she filled up her mug. "Well, I may look into it then. You've piqued my interest." She turned to look at him with a raised brow, bringing the steaming drink to her lips with two hands in order to blow on it. "But _why_ the sudden interest?" 

Bruce opened his mouth to answer, how he wasn't sure, when there was a breathless startled noise behind him. He somehow already knew who it belonged to by sound. Jane's brass mug fell from her hands and her eyes widened. Bruce furrowed his brow and turned quickly to gauge the reason for her reaction. His eyes joined hers in growing as wide as saucers. 

Tony was just inside the observatory, eyes bright and fixed in a trance on the domed ceiling. White-blue light emanated from his chest and it seemed the longer he stood there that light spread so that there was the beginnings of a soft halo all about him.

"Tony?" Bruce breathed the man's name in awe and confusion.

Tony's eyes jerked downward to meet his gaze and Bruce let out a gasp at the intensity that pierced him. He couldn't look away even as the halo around Tony grew brighter, shifting more and more to blue. Bruce felt his feet start aching to move toward him as Tony's eyes stayed fixed on his unwavering.

Suddenly all of the machines in the room began to come to life, whirring and chirping and clunking and rattling out of control, on their own. Bruce glanced around as did Tony, but then quickly they looked back at each other as if the other had the answer to what was happening. Bruce could hear Jane and Darcy trying to make sense of it somewhere in the room, but all Bruce could think of was taking a few steps forward and then a few more steps after that until-

"Oh my stars!" Jane shrieked loudly and Bruce was startled at last from his reverie. Tony's glow went dim and then flickered out and the machines slowly powered down. "You're _one_ of them," she said coming over to stand beside Bruce and study Tony. "You're a Star-Lord."

Bruce swallowed hard and looked down at nothing in particular. He inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times as the conclusion settled in. 

"A Star-Lord?" Darcy questioned. "Where's your star?" She sounded dubious.

"I don't know," Tony said and for the first time there wasn't animosity in his tone at the unwanted predicament he'd found himself in, but something vastly different. "I only know Dr. Banner wished on my star so now I'm here to help him."

Bruce glanced up quickly when he felt Tony's eyes on him. Tony's duties as a Star-Lord hadn't suddenly changed; they still prevented him from getting home if he didn't succeed in making Bruce's wish come true, but unlike before Tony's eyes and tone were gentle and forgiving of the hardship Bruce had inadvertently caused him. He almost seemed suddenly willing. Truly willing for more than just selfish reasons and Bruce didn't understand it at all.

"You might not like that," he said with a sigh, because he was pretty sure he'd wished for the impossible and he wasn't in the habit of getting the things he wanted. A Star-Lord's help would very likely not change matters.

"And you just might," Tony answered with an air of finality that, for the first time, made Bruce doubt his own doubts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have like at least probably 30,000 words of this AU in my head *headdesk* Because I just absolutely _needed_ this poorly-recognized-steampunk, deep space monster traipsing around up there on top of everything else I want to write and should be writing. I even have headcanons already built up around all the ideas I have for this potential story. Like the hell self? And if I was artsy I'd so be filling my Tumblr with sketches of those ideas (I already want to gush about this story and just will it to magically transfer from my head to a document finished for uploading because idk like I said it's a plot monster in my brain right now. 
> 
> And if that's not bad enough I've even got a list out the ass of just potential punny titles alone including: Falling Stars, Oh My Stars, Star-Crossed, Star(k), Stardust, Wish, ~~When You Wish Upon A Stark~~ , Stars Fall (or When Stars Fall or Starfall or some other variation lol), Written In The Stars, Among The Stars, Counting Stars, and that's just the ones I took time to write down. There are more in my head.
> 
> If science isn't your thing, the color blue signifies the hottest temperature and white comes before so Tony beginning to glow more towards blue was also implying that he was beginning to give off more heat in addition to light. None of this is logical tbh, but every now and then I can science a little bit (not really).


	35. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagined about 14-15 months later in the verse of the ficlet [Date Night](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6064114/chapters/15584647), but you don't have to really read that ficlet to know anything about this ficlet or vice versa. Both are stand-alone. And this is, like that other fic if you haven't read it, kidfic with original daughter.

"Daddy. Daddy. _Daddy_." 

"Hmm?" Tony startles awake, cracking open his eyes in confusion.  

"Daddy, are you," a snivel, "awake?" 

"M'ria?" he mumbles when he hears his daughter whispering in distress. His eyes adjust to the dark, save for the dim glow of his reactor beneath his tank top and then he cranes his neck to look over his shoulder. His eyes widen when he sees Maria standing beside the bed holding her Hulk doll tightly as body trembles with sobs and tears stream down her small cheeks. "Maria, what's wrong?" He rolls over onto his back and sits up instantly.  

"What?" Bruce gasps awake beside him and shoots up in the bed as well, breathing in and out deeply.  

Before Tony's sleep-addled brain can figure out which one he should try to soothe first, or how to soothe them both at the same time, Maria scrabbles up onto the bed and into the almost non-existent space between them. That seems to get Bruce's focus on where he's at and what's going on.  

"Maria?" Bruce immediately pulls her into his arms and Tony moves closer, wrapping a further grounding arm around Bruce and stroking their daughter's hair with his other hand. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" 

"She took… took me away—" Maria heaves against Bruce's chest, her sobs becoming more violent. "From you." 

"Baby, we're right here," Tony tells her. "You're with us. Nobody took you away." 

"I—I know," Maria isn't consoled, "but she took me away." Tony bites his lip, face turned down in a frown at her distress. He shares a look with Bruce, who also looks distressed. "The witch took me away."  

Tony furrows his brow as Bruce's eyes widen. "A witch?"  

"Yeah," she chokes out with a nod. 

"Oh god, Tony." Tony can practically feel Bruce's panic and he looks at him and sees it in his eyes. "Do you think Enchantress… You don't think…" He doesn't seem to be able to finish, but he doesn't have to. 

Tony looks back down at their crying daughter, suddenly more worried than before. "Maria, princess, now this is very important okay?" Maria turns in Bruce's arms and looks up at him with her wet eyes as she continues to snivel. Tony gently pulls away some of the strands of hair plastered to her face. "Maria, what witch? What witch took you away? Did she have a name?" 

Maria's eyes well up with a fresh deluge of tears and she swallows hard. "The one…" She snivels violently. "The one in my dream," she says brokenly as she starts to cry again and buries her head against Bruce's chest. "Her-her monkeys stole me. And, she… she said I would never—" She somehow manages to cry even harder and it breaks Tony's heart. "I would never see my daddies again."  

"Oh, no, no, no," Bruce says in a hushing tone. He wraps his arms around her more tightly and leans down and kisses her head. "No, baby, it was just a dream. Okay? Daddy and I are right here. It was just a dream."  

Suddenly it hits Tony everything she's said and it's good for everyone involved that he doesn't turn into a green rage monster. "Maria, did you watch The Wizard of Oz with Uncle Steve and Uncle Thor while daddy and I were out?" Bruce looks at him with an expression that says, _obviously_ and Maria nods. "Fucking damn it, those useless idiots," Tony starts muttering.  

"Tony," Bruce warns.  

"No, _no_ , Bruce," Tony counters, getting up to his feet and moving across the room to put on a shirt and pajama pants. "They shouldn't have let her watch anything without our permission if they weren't sure it was something we already approve of." 

"I agree," Bruce says. "But right now that isn't going—"  

"JARVIS, tell dumb and dumber to get their asses here before I put on the suit and come find them. I don't care if they're in the building or in Asgard or in 1944. I don't even care if they're in the middle of fucking people or each other! Just tell them to get here now!" 

"—to help," Bruce finishes with a sigh. Then he looks at him sharply and shakes his head.  

Tony would be more worried by that look if not for the fact that he's too determined to have at the two men and the fact that Maria has stopped crying and is looking at him with wide eyes. He points at her. 

"See, Maria agrees with me. Uncle Steve and Uncle Thor need to be told a thing or two." 

Bruce looks down at her as she sits up in his arms. "Are you going to use Iron Man?"  

"No," Bruce answers that first. "Your daddy would never use Iron Man against them." Bruce looks at him sharply again, only this time there's a vague hint of disappointment that quenches Tony's anger and makes him think straight again.  

He hangs his head. "I'm sorry," he apologizes as he shakes it. He then comes over to sit on the bed. "Daddy got too angry and that's not okay. I wouldn't ever hurt them," he promises. "Daddy's just going to talk to them and tell them what they did wrong."  

"Oh," Maria says. "I know you wouldn't hurt them," she then says and then moves to his lap to give him a hug.  

"Thank you, sweetheart," Tony says as he hugs her back. "And do you understand why daddy was mad?" She looks at him. "Because I love you and I don't like it when you're scared like that."  

She hugs him tighter. "I love you too. And I don't want to go back to sleep," she adds quickly. 

"You don't have to just yet," Bruce says, getting up and coming around to the other side of the bed. "While daddy has his talk with Uncle Steve and Uncle Thor how about we go make you some tea since you didn't get any tonight." Tony hoists her up in his arms as he stands up from the bed. "And then we can snuggle up back here and watch something until you fall asleep again. How does that sound?"   

She doesn't seem very sure. "Will you put me back in my bed when I fall asleep?" 

Tony and Bruce have a very quick private conversation, that is they look at each other and it's clear they're both thinking the same thing so Tony answers, "I think it'll be okay if you sleep with us tonight."  

"Yay!" she cheers as they walk out of the bedroom and toward the living area. "I gotta go get my Iron Man doll," she says and squirms to get down so Tony lowers her to the floor so she can take of back toward her room.  

He takes the chance to apologize to Bruce one-on-one. "Babe, I'm sorry. I mean that. You know the last thing I want is to ever, _ever_ be like our fathers were. Even unintentionally. I should have listened to you." He rests a hand on the side of Bruce's neck and looks at him intently. "I'm sorry." 

Bruce sighs. "Well, Papa Bear was maybe a little too aggressive this time," he says with a nod. Then he leans in and rests their foreheads together. "But it's okay. There's a very big difference between what you did and our fathers. You love Maria and never want to see her hurt." He pulls back and looks at him with a thin smile. "I understand. And I love you for that, Tony." Tony smiles, relieved, as Bruce leans in and captures his lips.  

"Daddies, no kissing right now," Maria whines and they pull apart with a chuckle between them. "Tea now." 

"Well, she's definitely in a better mood at least." 

* 

"She's _four_. _Barely_ four on top of it. What were you thinking?" Bruce hears Tony as he and Maria pass through on their way back toward the master bedroom.  

"I'm sorry," Steve replies. "Honest. I never realized how scary the movie is. I wasn't a kid when it came out, you know. And it's a kids' book. I mean, not to mention she doesn't even bat an eye at Hu-"

"Don't you dare say it," Tony cuts him off and Bruce has to admit he's glad for it. "That's not even comparable."

"Alright, alright, you're right," Steve defends himself quickly. "I didn't mean for her to have nightmares. That's the last thing I'd want, Tony. Is she okay now?" 

"Hopefully," Tony answers. 

"I'm sorry too," Thor apologizes. "Asgardian children hear such tales from the cradle. If we are scared, we train harder to protect ourselves and those we love." Bruce frowns at that and shakes his head.  

"Daddy, wait," Maria says, suddenly stopping in front of him. He's glad he's able to stop in time as not to slosh the two things of hot tea he's carrying all over her.  

"Something wrong?"  

She doesn't answer, rather turns and runs toward the living room. He follows after her and watches as she gives both Steve and Thor hugs. Tony raises one eyebrow, looking at Bruce. He can only shrug gently. 

"We're sorry, Maria," Steve says looking down at her. "Uncle Thor and I, we didn't know it would give you nightmares." 

"It's okay," she chirps. "I forgive you. And daddy is only mad because he loves me," she says with a beaming smile that makes Bruce's heart melt. He looks at Tony and can tell by his enamored expression that his heart has melted too. "But he won't hurt you," she assures them and then hugs them each again before rushing back over to Bruce.  

Steve smiles brightly and laughs. He looks at Bruce and then over at Tony. "I'm very relieved to hear that."  

"It was on the table though," he hears Tony mumble with a teasing smirk in his voice when he and Maria turn back for the bedroom. He's glad that Tony seems to be in a better mood too now and, frankly, the less stress there is all around the easier it is for him to keep cool. With any luck Maria will fall asleep in a little bit and it'll all be out of her system.  

Of course, they have no such luck. Three nights in a row Maria wakes up with nightmares and comes into bed with them. Then the two nights after that, Maria is just too terrified to even close her eyes in her own room altogether. Leaving Bruce and Tony at a loss for how to handle such a steady string of disturbance, and no real help to be found from some of the tips on the internet.  

"Time for your check up, time for your check up."  

On the sixth night, Bruce startles awake to the sound of Tony singing along with Maria and the television in their bedroom.. He straightens his head from where it had been uncomfortably sagging against the headboard and looks at Tony. Then he looks at Maria where she's tucked into the crook of Tony's arm between them.  

Bruce stretches a little and asks tiredly, "Did I doze off?"  

"You were snoring," Maria answers with a giggle. "Like this!" She imitates him and he shakes his head in amusement.  

"Yep, and just as adorable," Tony says leaning across her head to kiss him on his nose before capturing his lips in a quick kiss. Tony moves his arm around him then and Maria settles into the crook of Bruce's arm instead.  

"So what did I miss?" Bruce asks. "And was it my imagination or were you singing along?" He gives Tony a teasing look. 

"Of course I was," Tony replies breezily. "This is quality entertainment. It's empowering and very informative." 

"Well, it's no Sesame Street or Mister Rogers," Bruce says with a small chortle. For some reason Tony's eyes widen and he looks at him quickly. "What?" 

"Mister Rogers Neighborhood," he repeats and Bruce furrows his brow. Tony leans in and says in a low voice. "I'm pretty sure there was an episode—" 

"With Margaret Hamilton," Bruce realizes what he's getting at and nods. "Yeah, there was. It was a big deal right? To help kids afraid of—" He cuts himself off. 

"Yeah, exactly." Tony looks down at their daughter with a calculating look in his eyes. Then he looks back. "I mean, it's worth a shot right?" 

"Couldn't hurt much more," Bruce agrees. "Hey, princess," he says and Maria looks up at him, "after this do you want to watch Mister Rogers Neighborhood?" 

"Um..." She looks back at the television.  

"Oh, yeah, that would be fun! We love Mister Rogers," Tony quickly intervenes with exaggerated enthusiasm. 

Maria's mood changes immediately as she looks at Tony with a smile and then at Bruce. "Yeah!"  

"Yay!" Bruce tries his own hand at enthusiasm, even if he knows it's muted compared to Tony's easy charisma. Still, Maria claps in agreement with him so she's not too critical. And if she knew any better, she'd also know they were being a little manipulative, he muses further. 

*

Tony blinks open his eyes at the sound of JARVIS alerting him to the time, date and weather forecast. He closes them and stretches, then suddenly remembers to be mindful of Maria. He opens his eyes quickly and realizes she's not in the bed. He racks his memory. At bedtime the night before she'd been apprehensive, but brave enough to try sleeping in her own bed when they'd talked about real vs. make believe a little again beforehand. 

"Bruce," he whispers, as if talking too loud will throw everything out of balance again, when the other man starts to stir beside him. Bruce opens his eyes owlishly and then turns his head a little on his pillow to look at him, adorably groggy like he's forgotten what sleep feels like and is loathe to give it up. Tony smiles softly. "Morning," he says.

Bruce blinks a few times more, then offers his own small smile in return and a raspy, "Morning." Then he stretches with a groan as he says, "Though I wish it wasn't. Still feels like I haven't slept in-" He stops abruptly and cranes his neck to look around the bed and then back at Tony. Tony smiles at him in answer, knowing his question, and Bruce's eyes slowly widen. "Is it true or am I dreaming?" he asks as he slowly sits up.

Tony slowly sits up beside him. "Seems true."

Bruce rubs at his eyes. "Well, if it is," he looks at him then, "I never want you defaming Mister Rogers again with your cracks at Steve."

Tony raises his hands. "Never again," he promises with a chuckle.

Bruce sighs and lays back down. "A few more minutes just in case it's a fluke," he says.

"Good idea," Tony agrees and lays back down as well, moving in close to drape an arm across his middle.

They relish the chance to rest for nearly another hour before realizing they'd better get up, although the idea of asking someone to watch Maria with a stipulation of absolutely no movies so they can just have a lazy day in bed is tempting. Eventually they're both up and out of the bedroom, and moving cautiously towards Maria's. They've decided if she's still asleep they'll let her be since she probably needs to make up for the lost hours more than they do.

When they do get there Maria isn't asleep, rather sitting at her doll house playing. "Shh. Don't cry," she's saying sweetly in one of her role-playing voices as she moves one of her toys. "Ask your daddy to fix it. Daddies can fix anything." Tony glances at Bruce at the same time he glances at him with a smile. They wrap their arms around each other as they stand there eavesdropping. "I- I don't have a daddy," she changes her voice for the other doll to make her sound like she's crying. "Or a mommy." Tony raises one eyebrow curiously. "Oh, that's okay," she goes back to using her other voice. "I have two daddies! Maybe they can adopt you and-and then they can fix it for you!"

"Oh boy," Tony mutters at the same time Bruce chokes on air.

Maria of course hears the commotion and startles. She looks over her shoulder and then smiles brightly when she sees them. Her dollhouse and toys are quickly forgotten as she scurries to her feet and over to them. "Good morning!" she chirps.

"Good morning, angel," Tony says, as she hugs them both at the same time even though her arms definitely aren't quite long enough yet to do much more than reach their respective sides. 

"Did you have a good night sleep?" Bruce asks.

She lets go and hops back with a nod. "Yeah! Princess Margaret H. Witch showed up to have a tea party with me and then," she swallows, running out of air and then restarts, "and she got a tummy ache so Doc McStuffins showed up to help her even though she's not a stuff animal." She finishes with a giggle and shake of her head. 

"Well, that was very nice of Doc McStuffins," Tony comments.

"Mmhmm!"

"It sounds like you had a very good dream," Bruce says and smooths her hair back. "Daddy's going to make some breakfast now. Do you want to help?"

"Ummmm," she drags out the noise for a long time and then asks, "can I draw a picture while I watch?" 

"You certainly may," Bruce answers. She claps her hands excitedly and hurries over to her art shelf and pulls out her construction paper and crayons. Tony and Bruce watch her with amusement and then share a quick kiss as they wait. 

"Why haven't they sainted Mister Rogers yet?" Tony jokingly asks.

"I'm pretty sure he was Presbyterian," Bruce answers with a small chuckle. "But, yeah, I'm glad she's not scared anymore."

"I can draw my dream," Maria says cheerfully as she comes back over.

"Want some help there?" Tony asks and she hands over her big tub of crayons.

"Oh and I dreamed I was going to have a baby sister," Maria then announces before hurrying ahead of them out of her room as Tony and Bruce come to a synchronized halt to look at each other.

"Well, one crisis down," Tony says with a defeated chuckle and sigh. "Think Mister Rogers has any advice on this one?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an extensively detailed new year's goal for updating/finishing a lot of my current works. This series is high on the list so you can (hopefully) expect a lot of updates to it over the coming month until it's complete :)


	36. Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Regency-inspired AU, only without "sodomy" laws; also no outright homophobia tackled (although still implied as possible, or at the least looked down upon as not suitable where the uber importance of bloodlines/heirs/etc. are concerned among the elite). Aka just an excuse for me to play with superfluous language and other similar tropes, without dealing with bogging it down with our real-world historical grossness regarding lgbt. It does, however, include the grossness of indentured servitude so tw for that (e.g. indentured servants could be sold, treated fairly or treated cruelly, or face consequences for running away). There's also no actual specification of where this fic takes place - America, England, France, a fictional land, etc.

White petals fluttered gracefully to the ground from the large Magnolia tree that sat front and center of Stark Manor. It had been planted many years ago when Lady Maria Stark came to live there, newlywed to the Iron Magnate Lord Howard Anthony Walter Stark II. Watching the petals drop was like watching snow fall in late summer, contrasted beautifully against bright blue and pristine green.

Lord Anthony Edward Stark, only son of the late Howard and Maria, stood at the end of the second hall where a dramatic ceiling-to-floor window overlooked the extensive grounds and long path that led to the Manor, enraptured by the sight. Each flowery snowflake that fell to the petal-covered earth drove him further and further still into the recesses of his mind, where snow fell cold against the warmth of his memories.

_"Whoa," Tony urged, pulling his cantering horse into a trot. "Say, is this madness that has taken your senses or do you wish to catch your death of fever?" The ill-clothed man peered up at him through the flakes of white that came down all around them._

_"If it is madness, I would ride on as it is probably catching. If it is a wish for death to take me then blame it on the madness of my master," he answered as he continued walking._

_"If it is madness, then I assure you I am already mad so I will not ride on," Tony indulged his word-play. "If it is the madness of your master that has driven you to wish such a fate then I most certainly will not ride on." The other peered up at him again. "Whatever the circumstance for this folly, I will not idle lest I mourn the loss of a most handsome creature." To that was given a huff of a laugh and shake of his head._

_"I am no maiden you might sway into a false submission," he replied, looking straight ahead once more. "Nor am I readily charmed by flattery given in undue excess."_

_Tony's mouth turned up into a wicked smile and he moved ahead of the man and halted his horse in his path. The other stopped and looked up at him, his hair damp from snow and his complexion flushed. Tony leaned down from his mount to be closer to him._

_"Ah! but if you were a maiden I would ride on." He then straightened again and held out his hand, quite ready to end their game. "Now are you going to get on this horse or will I have to sweep you off your feet myself, Mister Banner?" Bruce smiled and took hold of his hand, easily mounting the horse to ride behind him. Tony waited until his arms were firmly around his middle before sending the horse into motion again._

_They rode fast through the countryside, Tony guiding the horse toward a shelter from the storm he knew how to find by memory: an old miller's cottage along the river in the woods. It had long since been deserted as most millers had moved their trades exclusively to the coastline. They had discovered the refuge three or maybe four summers before._

_No sooner were they inside the cottage did Tony passionately press Bruce against its door and kiss him. Bruce had no qualms as he began to make work of undoing their coats._

_"I will not ask again. What madness possessed you to go walking in a snow storm?" Tony asked him when a need for breath overtook them._

_"I have no answer you will accept," Bruce replied._

_"I will not accept it because it is madness," Tony quarreled and Bruce pulled away in a fit of equal temper, pushing past him and further into the cottage. He paced back and forth for a moment, shaking his head, before moving to the fireplace to prepare it. "It is madness," Tony continued, "to accept feeble-minded requests that would have you take ill to see them done. I have said plenty to my father on the matter, I assure you."_

_"You—" Bruce stood quickly to his feet from where he had been crouched at the hearth. His countenance was wide with disbelief. "No, it is not my madness that is of concern but yours." Tony widened his eyes. "It is madness to think of me the way you do," he said with a pained expression._

_"Is it?" Tony questioned, crossing the space between them and placing his hands on either side of Bruce's face._

_"It is," Bruce answered, reaching his own hands up to take hold of Tony's wrists. If he meant to push Tony's hands away, he made no effort to do so. Rather, he closed his eyes. "_ You _are the Stark heir. What am I?"_

_"You are the man I love," Tony replied firmly and searched the other man's eyes when they opened again._

_"_ I _am an indentured servant!" Bruce shouted, but Tony budged not. "You can_ not _love me," his anger quieted into a hoarse whisper. "I am beneath you."_

_"Bruce—" Tony began in protest._

_"The only madness I suffer is loving you where there is no hope." The declaration was hushed and choked like the bitter thing it was. Tony pulled his mouth to his own to sweeten the blow, Bruce giving himself over willingly to the kiss._

_"We will make hope," Tony made his own defiant declaration, pulling away from the kiss and setting a determined gaze on his lover and best friend. "I promise you, we will be together if you wish it."_

_"Tony," Bruce whispered his name, an achingly beautiful sound. "I will always wish it."_

"My lord," Mister Stark was broken from his reverie and turned to see his caring butler, Jarvis, "you have a visitor. A Lady Elizabeth Ross." His eyes widened and he followed him down to the parlor to be announced to his guest without a word of hesitation.

He found in the parlor a beautiful young woman, perhaps of two-or-three-and-twenty, awaiting him. Perhaps it was the dark hair or the striking countenance, but for a moment the Lord was reminded of Mister Banner and he rubbed at the pain in his chest which preceded. Then he focused on her heavenly blue eyes, nothing at all like the eyes belonging to Mister Banner, and managed to start.

"Miss Ross, I am pleased to welcome you into my home. Please," he gestured to the chairs, "have a seat." She nodded gently in his direction, a gesture of gratitude for the offer, and did so. He followed suit in a chair across her own, one chosen for its respectable distance. "What business brings you to Stark Manor if I may ask?"

"I have recently returned home and learned of your visit to my father."

"Yes, I visited him regarding a very important matter," Mister Stark replied as evenly and courteous as he could manage. "While I accomplished some of what I set forth to do, it was, I am afraid to say, a disappointing venture on my part."

"So, it _is_ you," Lady Ross said with a nod of her head and small smile upon her face. He furrowed his brow at her words. "You are the man he would not speak of by name or fortune, but whom he was exceedingly in love with. You are the man who promised him—"

_"It is still madness, Tony," Bruce sighed as they lay close together in the fading warmth of their passion. "Do you think your father suspects nothing? Do you still truly think he has not discovered the truth of our friendship? He approves not of even that much between us. Even if I were also a Lord or of some other title or fortune, your father would never allow it. I cannot give you an heir any sooner than you could give me one."_

_"I promise you, Bruce," Tony was not easily deterred, "it is you I love and always will. I do not need my father's blessing or an heir to remain constant. I promise you we will be together. I promise—"_

"I promised him a good deal many things in our youth," he said over her, "and myself." He sighed. "I apologize, Miss Ross, for my being curt. It is, as you must surely realize, a sore subject on my part. It is only important that you know I meant every one of those promises and intend to keep them if he wishes me to. I only need find him—"

"Now you must excuse me," interrupted Lady Ross, "but that is why I have come. I am sure you know that Mister Banner illegally fled my father's cruel treatment of him."

"I do know," he replied with a sharp tongue, turning red with anger at the mention of the man whom had purchased Mister Banner's papers while he had been away at school. Upon returning home and learning of this misdeed, done by none other than a man he trusted: a Mister Stane who had been elected temporary guardian of the estate until his return, Mister Stark had set out immediately to make it right. He went straightway to the Ross Manor only to learn of Mister Banner's flight from servitude as Miss Ross' father boasted of how he abused Mister Stark's beloved. "I purchased his paper's back and paid your father a great more than I believe he deserves in exchange for his promise to defer the legalities of the situation entirely to myself, as Mister Stane had no legal right to sell Mister Banner to your father in the first place."

"Mister Stark, I am not here to plead on my father's behalf," Miss Ross seemed increasingly impatient. "I am here to inform you it is I who helped Mister Banner flee." His eyes widened and she smiled warmly at him. "And I know where he is," she explained.

* * *

Mister Banner, or Doctor Banner as he was well on his way to being known, stepped out of the muggy and cramped flat and back out onto street along the wharf. He wiped his brow with his handkerchief and then put it away again as his eyes adjusted to the late morning sun. He started on his way toward the boarding house he was staying in at present. 

"My father's will stipulates that if I release to you your papers before you've reached the end of your service, I must forfeit control of all his industries." Mister Banner turned quickly upon his heel to see Mister Stark standing in the middle of the road, looking worn from a hard ride though no less handsome than when he last laid eyes on him three long years past. Mistee Stark approached by a few steps, eyes set in an intense gaze. "Furthermore, my father's will states in no uncertain terms that if I choose you in any manner, be it as husband or lover or kept man, I must forfeit all fortune-to-be-made from his industries, keeping only to myself that which was his fortune and property at the time of his death to do with whatever I shall see fit."

"Then, there is only one course of action you must take," he replied, choosing each word carefully. "You must abide by your father's wishes."

"I cannot," Mister Stark said with a firm shake of his head and Mister Banner furrowed his brow. "For I am already bound by a prior oath." His eyes widened then. "I must either honor that oath or be released from it."

"Please, Mister Stark, do not ask it of me."

"I fear I must," was his answer. "Do you still wish we should be together?"

"It is of no value," he argued before his heart could overpower his sense with sensibility. "I am no longer yours to release. Your Mister Stane saw to it I could no longer be of a burden on you and perhaps he was right. You must not even consider it. Nor can I return lest I be bound to the penalty of a runaway." Mister Stark stared long in silence at him, shadows and hope falling across his face in quick succession.

"Your answer, Mister Banner," he pressed. "If you mean to release me from what is owed to you then there is no other way but for your earnest reply." Mister Banner was unsure if he should be cross with the other man for his stubbornness, free as he truly was to come and go as he pleased, or mournful of the words he demanded to be given - words which Mister Banner knew he must painfully give lest his conscious be condemned. "We will be together if you wish it. Do you still wish it or do you not?" 

Mister Banner stood unable to compose the words for several moments, each passing like an eternity. The sun burned him, but it was nothing when compared to the gaze that he and the Lord held. At last he swallowed the fullness of his heart and spoke: "I do-"

_"I promise you, Bruce," Tony whispered, his voice smoother than silk and like heavy spirits, "it is you I love and always will. I do not need my father's blessing or an heir to remain constant. I promise you we will be together. I promise you we will make our own fortune in this world. You may have keep of my heart for as long as you wish it." Tony kissed him genteelly and said: "My only wish is that you should wish to keep it forever."_

"-still wish it," Mister Banner confessed, hanging his head and closing his eyes against the tears which followed. He shook his head and turned to walk on, unable to bear standing near the man he loved far too selfishly. 

"Your papers, then, Sir."

Mister Banner stopped once more and turned with furrowed brow to see Mister Stark standing there with familiar papers in hand. The other man approached him with quick strides and offered them over. He took them in a careful manner, looking them over in great disbelief. They had been relinquished to Mister Stark from Mister Ross and his release was signed by the Lord himself. He looked then at the man, nearly too overwhelmed to speak. 

"Your father's industries-"

"-and all fortune-to-be-made thereby," Mister Stark replied, taking his chin gently in hand. Mister Banner held his breath as his heart began to beat violently in his chest. "If only you will exchange one bond for another. I promise it to be a bond that I will share in equal measure and one I will spend all my days to make a happy one."

"It is still madness," he warned.

"The very best kind," Mister Stark answered in an agreeable fashion, and brought his lips discreetly closer.

Mister Banner smiled then and surrendered willingly to the madness of Lord Anthony Edward Stark as he was now free to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1.Since it's a condensed thing with a lot of the background world building untouched, as a point of reference:  
> • I imagined Tony and Bruce at the 18-20 range in the flashback.  
> • I also imagine Bruce was given up for servitude by Brian, the good for nothing, around the 10-12 age when he would be of use and happened to get lucky in coming to the Starks, where he and Tony became forbidden friends and then, in time, lovers.  
> • Not sure why it took Tony so long to realize what Stane had done... perhaps some lying from Stane beforehand as it was his intention to separate them (although the idiot probably didn't realize he could have gained everything if he'd let Tony have his way and ignore his father's will, alas for villains who foil themselves haha), and some unexplained reason for lack of correspondence between Tony and Bruce that would have alerted him. Also implied that he's spent a little time lamenting that Bruce had fled, and very likely searching for him, before Betty returned home and intercepted the information that Tony had come to get him back form her father.  
> 2\. Bruce was on his way to becoming a "doctor" in the sense that many doctored people without professional medical schooling before the AMA took over turning it into a regulated profession.  
> 3\. The flashbacks are in their minds thus the move from the impersonal language to the more personal.


	37. Market

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No-Powers, Modern-Setting, Meet-Cuteish AU that takes place in Puente Antiguo (the city in Thor). Implied background Clint/Phil. Possible tw for poor attitudes toward people from small cities, or anything considered "hickish" (in fact the word hick is used at one point).

"This is just sad, Bruce." Bruce looked up from where he was placing his items on the belt to see Natasha shaking her head at him, no shortage of condescension and judgment in her expression, as she waited for the items to come down the belt. "It's your day off. Why the hell would you come to the store?"

"Um," he glanced side to side and furrowed his brow, "because I have to eat?"

"Why don't you do your shopping after one of your shifts ends like the rest of us do?" She patronized him further. "Or at least go to a different store."

He snorted and shook his head. "The Farmer's Market wasn't open," he said, a joke of course since there was no such thing as a Farmer's Market in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico – small, desert city that it was. Hell, it was a big deal when the Wal-Mart had become a superstore and, frankly, he wasn't that desperate. "And we still have the best produce in town." She snorted that time.

"If that doesn't say anything about this hell hole, nothing does," she said as he moved in front of the register and she started ringing up his items.

"No, see, I've been in a hell hole. This is fine," Bruce countered with a shake of his head.

"So you don't think you'll take up that offer you got from your scientist friends and head to, where was it again?"

"Virginia," he answered, keeping his eyes fixed on the digital numbers as they flashed across the new machines they'd only just had installed. Corporate's ridiculous attempt to keep their store as up-to-date as the more nationally-known chains, not that it made much difference in a town with a population of only just 2200, give or take, compared to the stores residing in the larger cities throughout the southwest. "Culver University. And I'm not sure yet," he told her honestly. He had his reservations, seeing as the literal hell hole he'd come from was Desert State University. He wouldn't mind getting back to one of the coasts though, even if it likely meant being a professor and possibly becoming more active in the scientific community.

"Well, I'd jump at it if I were you," she said. "And if you're looking for a perky assistant, I'm sure to be a million times more tolerable than that Darcy character." Bruce stifled a laugh at the college student's expense. Dr. Foster's intern was definitely… something.

"Dude, what are you doing here?" Bruce glanced at his other co-worker, Clint as he came up to the end of the aisle to start bagging his items before returning his attention to the items being rang up. "You seriously had nothing better to do on your day off?" Bruce shrugged in answer. "Man, we need to hook you up somehow. Or at least get you a dog."

Bruce laughed. "Hook me up how?" he asked incredulously. "There's, what? Five other gay men in this city? And they're either taken or _definitely_ not my type."

"That we know of," Clint replied. "I'm pretty sure there's a few others not out yet—"

"No thanks," Bruce dismissed, not about to head down that road.

"At least let me and Phil take you to one of the bars in Albuquerque one of these days."

Bruce screwed up his face. "Still no."

"Well, that's another tally in the Virginia column," Natasha interjected as she scanned the last item. "Bound to be more options." That was true, he thought, right before he saw her give Clint a conspiratorial look. "Then again, maybe the real reason he's here on his day off is because he doesn’t want to miss any chance of catching sight of that tech guy from corporate."

"What?" Bruce choked out a laugh, surprised by that. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

After all, outside of the quick introduction to the team from Phil, the manager, and Steve, the assistant manager, he'd only once run into the man – whom no one else seemed to realize wasn't just some tech guy, but a practical genius from what little Bruce had heard of his accolades while he'd still been in school – in the whole week he'd been there thus far overseeing the install of the machines. And, okay, maybe he'd checked him out once… or a couple of times, but he was human enough.

"I'm pretty sure I saw him sending more than a couple of appreciative glances your way," Clint said as he bagged his groceries.

"Wait, what was that?"

"I'm pretty sure—"

"Not you." Bruce shook his head at him and then looked at the screen. "I meant the total," he said, Natasha having had read it while he'd been thinking about how he _wasn't_ thinking about Mr. Stark. "That's wrong."

"What do you mean it's wrong?" Natasha asked, printing the receipt and quirking an eyebrow as she held it.

"I mean it's over by, um," he rolled his eyes around as he quickly did the math in his head, "a hundred and nine dollars and ninety-nine cents."

"How the hell?" Clint stopped bagging and moved around to stand just behind Natasha.

"I tally it up as items are rang up," he said, hating to admit it as it was one of those unusual, some would say freakishly abnormal, things about him. "Can't help it. Habit."

"The bill does seem higher than it should be," Natasha agreed and hit the switch on the sign. There were audible groans from a few of the patrons in line behind him, two of them immediately moving to another lane.

"What's going on?" Steve was the first to notice the flashing sign. He gave Bruce a strange glance and Bruce held back a sigh. Why was everyone so concerned at his being at the store on his day off? Wasn't that what most people did when they one, were off work and two, needed something more than tea, assorted spices, and crackers to eat? He then looked at Natasha and Clint who were trying to add up the total on a Clint's phone. "Why are you using your phone?"

"Bruce here says the total is wrong. By more than a hundred dollars," Clint explained.

"What seems to be the problem?" Phil asked before Steve could respond to that in anyway.

Bruce sighed. "The register rang up my items incorrectly. It's telling me I owe a hundred more than I should."

"That seems highly unlikely," Phil said.

Before Bruce could protest there was a commotion a few lanes down. Phil immediately went to check on the issue and Bruce turned to watch curiously. "I overheard and I think Bruce is right. I only checked out the two items," Daisy, the teen at the register said, "and it's saying thirty-eight dollars. There's no way." She pointed at the receipt.

"You're right," Phil said and then looked around before coming back over. "You," he said to Bruce, "stick around, please." He squashed a sigh and gave a nod. "Natasha, I want you to start ringing folks up at customer service since they're still on the old system. Clint, help her." They nodded and left for the service desk. "I'm going to give Mr. Stark a call. While we wait for him, let's pull out the tapes and start crunching some numbers compared to the computer to see just what kind of damage we're looking at here. Hopefully it's just a recent glitch and hasn't been ongoing since we went live with these things." With that Phil left for his office, just as Natasha came over the intercom with directions to the patrons to form an orderly line at the service desk.

For the first time in recent years, Bruce had to wonder if maybe he should have gone to Wal-Mart.

*

Tony wasn’t having a particularly good day. For one thing he was nursing a hangover the likes of which he couldn't really remember at the moment.

He'd gone out drinking with some scientist pals, Dr. Selvig and Dr. Foster, who happened to be in the little – emphasis on _little_ – city of Puente Antiguo for some research, and had made the mistake of trying to out drink Foster's boyfriend, Thor. The nickname was well-deserved; in fact, Tony's drunken mind had a few fleeting thoughts that maybe the ridiculously-muscled man was the demigod himself. Then again, he'd been so smashed he'd been about two drinks away from heterosexuality so his mental processes were to be questioned in general. It was a damn good thing the only real prospect for that kind of misadventure was the college tag-along who'd been just as eager to set him up with some man when he'd rebuffed her eager advances.

"In that case," she'd chirped with wide, bright eyes, "you _definitely_ need to get with Bruce Banner! You'd love him. I mean, everybody loves him. But you'd _really_ love him," she'd said with an obnoxious wink.

Tony had no clue who or what a Bruce Banner was or why that name had sounded vaguely familiar, but at that point he was practically under the table anyhow so he figured the best course of action would be _not_ to take potential partner suggestions while both parties were shit-faced. But on top of waking up with his head in a vice, he was insatiably horny and on edge because of it, so he could definitely blame his erotic hallucinatory dreams on her for planting the idea of his getting with someone in his mind to begin with. Of course, the other man in those dreams looked suspiciously like that cute employee at the store he was working with for a couple of weeks.

He groaned just thinking about it. The last thing he needed was letting himself think about messing with a one night stand or two with a man in Nowhere, New Mexico, no matter how cute. After all, in his experience small town quickies weren't even worth it, even when they were pleasurable. And sure he was a little classist about it, but he the whole 'corrupting the naïve hick' thing was vastly overrated if you had to deal with inexperience _on top of_ low brain cells. Not to mention the sheer amount of them that were usually also in the closet? No thanks, honestly. It didn't matter how irresistible those brown, glasses-framed eyes and dark curls were or how attractive that face and lean body and… He groaned again. Damn that Darcy Lewis for making this harder on him with her suggestions.

As if all of that wasn't enough, Phil Coulson, the store manager, then called him saying something absolutely ludicrous about the machines malfunctioning and overcharging customers. So he was stuck heading over to see what the hell he was talking about while nursing a headache and ( _another_ ) lingering hard-on.

"Shit," he mumbled as Coulson led him over to one of the registers and he immediately realized his day had just gone from not particularly good to _I promise you, God I will never drink alcohol again just as long as you get me through this without being registered as a sex offender for indecency._

"I'm not sure if you recall Mr. Banner," Coulson gestured to the man standing near the register with a cart full of items. He wasn't dressed in his uniform, but that didn't mean Tony didn't recognize him and that's when it all came rushing back to him as he recalled the man's name tag. Bruce. Banner. Bruce Banner. The small city supermarket cutie was the same guy Darcy had mentioned which meant he was gay which also meant it was a known fact, therefore, hypothetically, no closet. _Or sleep with someone before the third date again_ , he tacked onto the previous prayer for fortitude. "He's one of our employees."

"Mr. Banner," Tony tempted fate by offering his hand to shake the other man's, "pleased to meet you formally."

"Um, you as well, Mr. Stark," he said, taking it, and Tony wasn't sure he knew what else to offer as a promise in exchange for strength because Bruce definitely looked him over; shyly maybe, but Tony knew an appreciative appraisal when he saw one. He'd certainly been sending about a million of his own this man's way since he'd come to Nowhere, New Mexico.

"Bruce here is the one who first noticed the problem," Coulson said as they ended the handshake. Tony eyed him more curiously now. "Bruce, could you explain the situation to Mr. Stark, please?"

"Sure," Bruce said with a small sigh. "A coworker was ringing up my groceries and—"

"Wait, you were shopping at your own job on your day off?" Tony suddenly put it together why the man might seem a little tired.

"Oh my god," Bruce huffed, "is there some law in this country that says a person can't shop at his place of employment on his day off? Even if in retrospect he wishes he'd gone to Wal-Mart and let his place of employment deal with this mess without taking up the rest of his day!?" Tony's eyes widened at his outburst, then furrowed his brow when the man seemed to shrink in on himself after the fact. "I'm sorry. I... Sorry."

"Bruce, do you need a moment?" Coulson asked him, which was interesting.

Bruce just shook his head and sighed again. "No, I'd just like to finish this."

"Sorry," Tony offered his own apology. "I won't interrupt again."

For some reason Bruce looked doubtful of that. "So I was in line," he continued, "and I, um, was... It's..." He fumbled, but then shook his head as if there was no way around what he wanted to say. "I was adding up the total in my head as the items were being rang up. It's... a quirk. But the point is, when my coworker read off the total it didn't match. Even with my employee discount it was off by one-hundred and nine dollars and ninety-nine cents." Tony gave him an incredulous look. The quirk was adorable, but they'd really called him in because somebody had gotten the math wrong in his head? Bruce tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at him. "You don't believe me," he said, pursing his lips and giving a small nod. "Can't imagine why," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"I—" Tony opened his mouth and then closed it again. He was sharper than he'd assumed he would be and that was both unexpected and potentially dangerous – like, moving on to promising a firstborn dangerous – so he quickly made distance between them by moving around to behind the register. "Alright, put your groceries back up there and we'll ring 'em again and see if we can't duplicate the error," he compromised.

"Um," Bruce stuttered and looked at him and then at Coulson. "I can do that," he offered. "I mean, no offense, but it's my job and I'm trained, so—"

"It's your day off," Tony countered.

"It's fine. It'll probably go faster if—"

"Are you going to give him another day off?" Tony looked at Coulson, then flickered his eyes sidelong at Bruce to see his confused expression.

"Well, I wasn't going to, but—"

"Okay, then I'll do this and he can put his groceries back on the belt."

Coulson gave him a long, scrutinizing look and then looked at Bruce. "You can have tomorrow off." He then jerked his head at him.

"Right, uh, thank you," Bruce said and quickly moved around to the other side of the register before Tony could process what was happening to leave, causing them to awkwardly shuffle into each other, and then into each other again, before shuffling around one another. Tony had a brief loss of resolve and wondered at the consequence of breaking all his promises.

Tony brushed it off, and very discreetly – he hoped – readjusted himself as he moved the cart back to the start of the lane and started piling everything on as quickly as possible. He saw Bruce wince and paused realizing these were still the man's personal groceries. He then looked at Coulson. Before anything could be said, the manager sighed and looked at Bruce.

"Since you haven't paid yet you can get new groceries if you'd like," he said to his employee.

"Thank you," Bruce mumbled, sparing an almost calculating glance in Tony's direction. He then nodded and Tony continued piling on the groceries. Once all were on the belt he said, "Alright, since I assume _you're_ smart enough to do the math in your head, come keep a running total as I ring them up and see what you end up with."

Tony blinked, surprised by the hint of dry humor in his challenge before moving down the lane. "You assume right, for the record," he said. Bruce just gave a quiet hum. Tony wasn't sure if he was frustrated or, well, _frustrated_. He watched the numbers flash one by one until the final product was scanned. "Alright. Ten percent discount?" Bruce nodded. "Okay. Total?"

He looked at Bruce to see a small upward twitch of his lips. "The total is two hundred and five dollars and thirty-one cents." Tony's vision tunneled and his eyes darted back and forth as he turned his gaze downward. "Let me guess," Bruce said dryly, "that's one hundred and nine dollars and ninety-nine cents too much?"

Tony glanced back up at the other man with wide eyes to see him looking at him with a raised eyebrow and small smirk. The random, cute, gay man in the middle of Nowhere, New Mexico _had_ done the math in his head correctly.

This day was trying to kill him.

*

It had been some time since Bruce had allowed himself to feel any self-satisfaction at the expense of someone else, but he had to admit after the day he'd had so far he was enjoying watching Tony Stark go from smug to stunned. Of course, it probably had a little to do with proving to the man that his assumptions about people living in small cities was an offensively blanket one. He also maybe couldn't resist the challenge presented to him with Tony Stark had doubted him, which was a reaction he hadn't felt in some time and had felt oddly different then his occasional work with Dr. Selvig and Dr. Foster. At the very least it had been a decent distraction from the devastatingly, no _infuriatingly_ , attractive man.

Or at least it had been a decent distraction until Phil had put him in charge of the task of assisting Tony with whatever he needed while he got back to helping with other issues that were needed, like figuring out how much money was overcharged. Now he was stuck with the infuriatingly attractive man.

"I think we've proved by now it's not just an occasional anomaly or something caused by certain strings in the barcodes," Bruce said when he grew tired of Tony grabbing random things off the shelves and having them rang up at various registers. "At this rate we're also looking at an inventory nightmare," he added before he could check his snarky comment. The other man stopped and looked at him questioningly. Bruce sighed. "As in we're going to have to go through and clear the systems and put all this stuff back on the shelves?"

"Oh, uh, right," he seemed to get the point. For a man who had ideas about the IQs of people in small towns, he was lacking in common sense which was on the opposite end of the spectrum in Bruce's opinion. "I'm just trying to figure it out. It doesn't make any sense. These machines were running perfectly in testing. There's no way they should suddenly be going haywire."

" _Are_ they suddenly going haywire?" Bruce questioned and Tony raised one eyebrow. "I mean, I'm not trying to place blame anywhere, but is it possible R &D didn't account for something that would change how it works here in the real world? Is it possible nobody has noticed before now?"

Tony raised the other eyebrow. "Okay, look, I was wrong before. You're obviously very smart." Bruce licked his lip and looked away for a second before looking back at the man tentatively. "But how can I put this?" Tony glanced around and then his eyes widened. He grabbed a pack of gum that Bruce knew was listed for fifty cents and came around to the other side of the register, crowding into the small space beside him before Bruce could protest to ring up the item. Bruce had a suspicious, albeit amusing, thought that maybe Tony had wanted to give that a try himself this whole time. The scanner beeped and they both looked at the total on the screen. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure _anyone_ would realize they shouldn't be charged two dollars and twenty-four cents on a fifty cent pack of gum." Tony handed him the gum and then shrugged. "These machines have been in other stores for months now. There's no way nobody's noticed."

"That’s…" Bruce furrowed his brow. "Huh." He shook his head. "That's a fair point. Here I was giving you a hard time for being condescending and I guess I was doing that too."

"Maybe," Tony said. "But I think we both know you were just considering options while I was just being an asshole." He shrugged again.

Bruce looked down at the gum package and snorted softly. "I don't know. I think was trying to be an asshole too. At least to you." He looked up. "Sorry."

"We'll call it even." Then Tony smiled and Bruce suddenly remembered how they were practically crammed together in a small space and felt flustered all over again. "Actually—" Tony started, but suddenly something struck Bruce and he looked back down at the gum.

"3480."

"What?"

"That's the last four digits of the UPC," Bruce explained.

"Okay…"

"And if you were to tax a fifty cent item at a rate 3.48 percent—"

"Shit," Tony mumbled. Then louder, "Shit, you're right. It's miscalculating the UPC codes as the sales tax."

"Per item on top of it I'm guessing, regardless of the items that should be tax-exempt," Bruce added. "Hypothetically maybe there's a function error somewhere? Or maybe a—" He stopped abruptly when he realized he was acting more than just 'pretty smart' at the moment and Tony was looking at him strangely.

"Who are you?"

"I'm…" Bruce wanted to finish that with a number of things, like _being ridiculous_ or _gay_ or _single_ or _begging you to move because I don't want to get fired for saying or doing something we'll both regret_.

"Mr. Stark," Phil called and they both turned their heads in sync to look at him. He held out his cell phone. "Nick Fury would like to speak with you." Bruce's eyes widened. Nick was the CEO himself.

"Perfect," Tony mumbled and moved from the small space. Bruce felt both like he could breathe again and saddened by the loss. He watched as Tony wiggled his hands a little like he didn't want to take the phone, but then his shoulders deflated and he quickly took it like it was diseased. That was interesting. "Hey, Nick. Mmhm, yeah and we figured it out. Well, actually, a brilliant employee here figured it out."

Bruce turned away, his cheeks warming a little as he tried to tune out the conversation. Phil came closer to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry," Bruce guessed his unspoken question. "I'm keeping it professional. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Really?" Phil quirked his lips in humor, which was a good sign. "Didn't seem particularly professional to me. Which I guess is understandable. He's certainly attractive. And has an interesting sort of charm about him." Bruce glanced back over his shoulder at the man and couldn't fight a small smile that touched his lips. He definitely seemed to have his own quirks about him and Bruce could appreciate that. "And he's nearly as smart as you are, so that would keep you on your toes."

Bruce looked back quickly in surprise. "Okay, first of all, he's probably smarter than me. Two, stop talking like there's something going on when there's nothing going on. He's not going to keep me on my toes." Phil rolled his eyes and Bruce frowned at him.

"Mystery solved," Tony said then, coming back over with a shake of his head. He looked at Bruce first. "You were right. Function error. This moron contracted on the project pushed through a system update last night, only he broke the system and this has been happening at every store with these machines. Hammer," he then grumbled like a curse word. "So, I'll just need to go in and fix it so we can get things back up and running. And apparently corporate and accounting is working on damages," he said, that part aimed at Phil of course.

"So…" Bruce looked back and forth between them. "I can go now?" He fixed his attention on Phil. "Or do I have to forfeit the rest of my day in exchange for tomorrow?"

Phil shook his head. "No, you can go. And I'll work out the hours later so you're compensated for your help."

Bruce was a little surprised by that, but nodded. "Thank you. It was…" He looked at Tony. "It was nice working with you, Mr. Stark," he said and then left before he could make a fool of himself somehow . He decided he would take everyone's advice and pick up groceries after his next shift. Or maybe he would go to Wal-Mart tomorrow, he mused as he left the building and headed for his car.

"Bruce, wait!" Bruce stopped just as he was close to his car and turned to look back. It was Tony. Tony was… chasing after him? The other man stopped a few feet away and let out a huff of breath. Then he set a determined gaze on him. "Are you doing anything for dinner?"

Bruce's eyes widened slightly. Then he furrowed them, wondering what sort of proposition this was. He didn’t want to assume he was anything more than simply interested in the surprise-genius in New Mexico.

"Um, well, since I decided to forego getting any groceries I suppose I'll have to," he answered, wondering if it sounded coy or just entirely non-committal. "Maybe I'll go to Isabella's," he said in a more leading fashion. "It's a diner downtown. If you haven't been there you should try it before leaving." _Leaving_ , he reminded himself just in case this was more than professional interest.

"Hey, Dr. Banner!" Darcy called out and Bruce's eyes widened again and he saw the absolutely stunned expression on Tony's face as well. She waved as she approached, "Hey so—" She stopped and then smiled at Tony. "Well, look at that!" She looked at Bruce. "I was going to say Mr. Stark is totally on your team so maybe you should go for it," she then looked between them with a suspicious smirk as Bruce turned sheepish, even as he had to admit he was glad to know for sure about Tony's interests, "but something tells me you already know."

"Yep," Tony was the one to answer that much to Bruce's surprise and he looked up to meet the gaze fixed on him. "In fact, we have a date at Isabella's tonight. Isn't that right, _Dr._ Banner?"

What the hell, Bruce decided and said, "Yeah, at, uh 8. You know, to miss the heavy dinner crowd."

Tony smiled broadly. "Looking forward to it." He leaned into his space and Bruce felt a little panicked even as he relished in it. "Don't think I won't do my research beforehand, Doctor."

"You might not enjoy that," Bruce warned him. But he'd do some research of his own, honestly.

Tony smirked and pulled back, looking him over in a deliberate manner. "But you just might," he said with a wink and turned to leave again.

Bruce had no clue how to respond to that. He was too busy dealing with his out-of-control heartbeat. Something told him Tony might just be right, which was probably terrible for the man's obvious ego so he wouldn't admit it readily. After Tony was disappeared into the store, Bruce let out a sharp exhale and a small smile spread across his lips as everything that had happened started to finally sink in and his brain began to process the prospect of what was going to happen later.

He made a mental note to never shop at Wal-Mart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. okay like please don't take any offense at the Wal-Mart jokes. I promise you I'm not somebody who goes around making fun of the "people of Wal-Mart" by any means. And have shopped plenty enough places, including Wal-Mart, to know that people as a whole can be weird, rude, gross, annoying, etc. regardless of where they shop or how much money they spend. It's just, as someone who grew up in a small "hickish" city where there were like TWO options for groceries one of which was a super Wal-Mart it's easy for me to make the jokes and laugh at them.   
> 2\. Okay, also speaking of small cities. I realize Puente Antiguo in Thor doesn't look like much from what we see, but that's probably because we only see one small area. If the population on the sign is 2,175, and assuming an average household size of 4, that's a potential for 500 households which we certainly don't see represented in the small bit that we see. But seeing as if you look at shots of what we do see there's a Greyhound, several cars coming and going, not to mention the County Hospital is at least within driving distances if not in Puente Antiguo rather a neighboring city in the county, I'm assuming what we're shown is more of the downtown of Puente Antiguo and there's a little more suburban center not shown where the schools, supermarkets, homes, etc. reside. (And yes Wal-Marts superstores are often found in areas with less than 3,000 people.)  
> 3\. Also essentially in this verse I've imagined them as way more average. Like, yeah, they're ridiculously smart, but Tony's not like the high-profile, highly well known, billionaire prodigy (although privilege is implied) rather a tech/engineering genius really starting to get going (hence contracting with companies to get his tech out there). And Bruce was never really highly known either because he chose simple living after whatever happened at Desert State. Etc.


	38. Technology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I had two paragraphs written of a ficlet using the dating-site trope... then felt possessed to backspace and start writing a Human/Android AU instead. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. It's only a snippet of, idk, a(nother ugh) larger au idea. TW for the word molest, and having one's space invaded - even if without intent to harm - in a dubious manner. And tbh tw for potential dubious consent in general since I realize some people find that to be the case in Robot/Human fics.

"I think I killed it," Bruce said, dragging the unconscious – or, uh, short-circuited? – android into the small shack in Kolkata where he, and three others of the resistance in this sector were currently holed up.

"Been through this, Bruce," Clint said with a shake of his head, coming over and kicking at the thing. Bruce winced even if he realized it didn't feel anything. "Can't kill these things unless you dissect 'em piece by piece. Starting with those damn circles of light in their chests."

Bruce sighed and nodded. He was starting to wonder why he'd joined up with them at all. He'd been fine enough living his meager life in service to Ultron and the various robots he had created to overtake humanity. It wasn't like his life was much worse than it had been before anyway. Sure, he had a target on his chest as a genius and could be eliminated on a whim...

"Cut him some slack," Natasha said in his defense. She was doing that more and more lately and he wasn't sure if there was a reason, or if there was if he wanted to know what it was. "He's still new to the field. It's one thing working the computers for us and another being in the thick of it where you never know when you're going to have to take one down."

"She's got a point," Steve, their leader, said with a weary sigh. "He hasn't even come up against one of the more human looking ones yet." There was a solemn moment of silence and Bruce knew what everyone was thinking if nobody dared say it. Then Steve finally did, nearly mumbling it, "Say nothing of our reprogrammed fallen soldiers." He stood to his feet and announced he'd be taking the next watch then.

They all looked at one another sadly when he'd gone. Nobody liked to talk about how some of the resisting humans were captured and mutilated, turned into bionic soldiers programmed to serve Ultron. Least of all Steve Rogers who'd lost his best friend and lover in such a way. Bruce also didn't bring it up, but something told him that for some reason Steve still held out some kind of hope of getting the other man back.

* *

They managed to make their way back to the former United States some months later, a difficult task when trying not to arouse suspicion or get caught. That was where Bruce had the displeasure of being cornered, for the first time, by a Life Model Decoy – as they called the androids that had been modeled on humanity in some sick and twisted effort to infiltrate them or perhaps mock them. S.H.I.E.L.D., the resistance as a whole that is, wasn't quite sure yet.

"I… I don't want any trouble," Bruce said, hands held in a placating fashion as the robot neared him. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"You are not where you should be," the LMD answered. "You are registered as a Dr. Robert Bruce Banner. At time of registration you were living in Willowdale, Virginia. This sector is known as Manhattan, New York. There is no record of transfer. You are out of place. That is against the rules." The jarringly human looking robot moved closer. He then stopped and tilted his head. His brown eyes flickered with blue as the lenses focused and unfocused. "You are also wearing glasses. Your registration photo indicates no previous need for corrective lenses. You are out of place and in disguise."

"I’m not in disguise," Bruce countered quickly, and seriously hoped one of the others happened along. "I’m farsighted. I don’t always need them to see so I wasn’t wearing them at the time of the photo. But I’ve always worn them. Scan other database info on me," he challenged. "I’ve always had glasses."

The LMD narrowed the slits of his eyes and then they opened wide, going completely blue, much like the little circle of light beneath his shirt – the thing that gave away most clearly that he wasn't human. Bruce realized that the android had accepted his challenge and was sifting through whatever there was on him in the database. This was possibly his chance to escape… But he couldn't just escape. His task was also to try and take out any of their overlords when given the opportunity. He slowly reached into his pocket, pushing open another pocket sewn in, to trigger a small EMP. As he always did, he hesitated. He hated this part. He hated knowing what would have to follow if he had to do his job correctly. He knew he shouldn't think of it as such, but these were still somewhat sentient machines and killing was killing.

He took a breath and was just about to press the trigger when the LMD opened his eyes again, back to brown with the semblance of a human's eyes and something strange there that Bruce couldn't quite decipher. Bruce was frozen, wondering if he'd missed his chance and this was the end. Maybe it would be for the better for him and everyone if it was as useless as he was.

"I…" The LMD hesitated, tilting his head this way and that before studying him. "I do not understand this," he said. "Your file indicates you should be one of us." Bruce furrowed his brow and tried not to make any sudden movement. "Your intelligence is beyond anything possible for an inferior, carbon-based life form. Yet, you are clearly a carbon-based life form as indicated by your capacity for and display of sentiment and emotion."

"It's called humanity," Bruce spoke before he could check his tongue. The LMD twitched slightly and clearly focused in on him again. He took a step forward and Bruce felt his heart begin to pound again. He swallowed hard. "Humanity is capable of—of many things. Some aren't very smart," he explained, taking a step back as the LMD didn't stop his motion. "And, and, others are. Not many are as smart as me, I'll admit that. But there are others. But our intelligence is just half of the story. We're… also capable of emotion. We're capable of great evil, sure," he offered realistically. "But, we're also capable of kindness and… love."

The LMD stopped then and, with whatever power the synthetic mold of his skin operated on, scrunched his face in what looked like confusion. "This is wrong," he said.

Before Bruce could decipher the meaning of that statement, or hazard a question about it, cold, synthetic lips were pressed against his own. His eyes widened and his heart stuttered at the unexpected accost. He then furrowed his brow, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do about this strange turn of events. He started to move his hand back to his pocket when the LMD pressed more fervently against him and moved his artificial hands to Bruce's waist.

Bruce's eyes widened again, suddenly unsure. There was something almost earnest and disarming about the whole situation, in the way the robot kissed him with clearly no previous experience and yet something… oddly tender and not assaulting like he'd first feared it would be. He didn't know what it said about him, his state of mind, that he found himself closing his eyes and his hands creeping upward toward his neck.

 _There's probably a kill switch there_ , the logical part of his brain supplied in an attempt to make this bizarre encounter work out in his favor. The kill switches, as they understood, were almost always located around their head. Some were at the base of the neck and some were behind the ears. This model's was apparently hidden within his synthetic hair, he realized when he let one hand study the texture of it – the scientist in him unable to resist. He could do it. He could hit the kill switch like he was supposed to do. This wasn't a man. He was a monster. Like all the others. _This is wrong_ , the LMD's words echoed in his mind and he wondered then if he'd meant his sudden inclination to kiss him. This is wrong, Bruce's mind agreed. He should just—

The LMD finally pulled away and Bruce opened his eyes to see the last thing he expected. "I do not know why I did that," he said, a desperate cognitive dissonance displayed in his synthetic features like any man might look when he didn't understand what he was… _feeling_. Bruce's eyes widened. "But I—" The LMD suddenly jerked and Bruce looked down to see one of Clint's EMP arrows stuck to the android's leg. The android looked at him with widened eyes. Then more surprising still he turned quickly, keeping Bruce behind him in a protective stance as he looked around, but only for a few seconds before the EMP detonated and he powered down, collapsing to the ground like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

"Bruce, are you alright?" Natasha asked first as they swooped in. He was too shocked to answer as he looked down at the unconscious machine.

Steve swooped in next with a swift kick to the android's side and Bruce felt as if the blow had been struck to himself instead. Then he watched in horror as Steve brought his heavy boot upward above the android's chest, knowing he was aiming for the circle of light to crush it as he often did. Fear seized him and before Steve could bring the blow down, Bruce yelled out, "No, don't!" He pushed Steve back from the machine and Steve wrestled him away instinctively.

"What the hell do you mean no?" Steve looked at him with sudden suspicion.

"He tried to protect me," Bruce said.

"What?" Clint scoffed. "Impossible."

"He did," Bruce countered. "When you shot him, his instinct was to try and protect me."

"Are you sure, doc," Natasha asked, "because that goes against everything we know about them."

"Not—" Bruce stuttered and looked down. "Not necessarily. Asimov's Law—"

"Was wiped out of their coding ages ago. Ultron doesn't make them that way and you know it."

"Okay, but I also know that what just happened was an anomaly and I'm… I'm not going to let you destroy him." Bruce looked back and forth between the three of them.

" _Him_?" Steve retorted. "No, Bruce. That thing is an it. Nothing more."

"That's what they think about us," Bruce argued. "I'm not going to stoop to their level. This robot, for some reason or another, is different." He jerked his head a little as he said, "And I think it's in our best interest to find out why."

"We can't just sit here out in the open like this for too long," Clint said reasonably. "So what do we do?"

"I think we should take hi—" Bruce sighed. "It. I think we should take it back to headquarters. Talk to Fury. See what he thinks. Because this… this might be a big deal."

Steve tweaked his jaw and then set it firmly. "Fine, you want to go to Fury with this, then I wash my hands of it." He looked at Clint and Natasha. "Either help him or don't. Your choice."

* *

"They've managed to go in and rewrite all of the tracking syntax so that it'll read like he's within the sector, but never anywhere near here," Agent Coulson briefed them on what the technical team had done since the LMD had been brought into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. "And we haven't managed to locate anything else to indicate it was a decoy meant to be tracked to this specific location."

Fury nodded and then moved to stand in front of the mission table where Bruce and the other three sat while other agents in the resistance moved quickly all about them. He narrowed his lone eye on Bruce and placed his hands menacingly behind his back.

"You'd better have a good explanation for this, Dr. Banner."

"I… I don't know if it's what you'll consider good," Bruce said honestly. "But essentially, when I encountered this LMD out in the field, there was a series of unusual actions. He started with the usual thing, attempting to detect as to why I was out of my registered location. But then he started getting, well, curious is the only word I can use—"

"He was molesting you," Clint said and Bruce jerked his head in his direction. He wasn't aware any of them had seen that. They hadn't made it known before this moment.

"That true?" Fury asked sharply.

"Um, well, yes. Technically. He… it…" Bruce sighed in frustration. "Look, I don't think he meant it to actually do me any harm. Sure, at first I thought maybe… But then…"

"Then what, Dr. Banner?" Fury pressed when he couldn't find the words right away.

"Then I understood. He was overwhelmed with something he didn't understand. Before he kissed me, he seemed confused about how humanity works. Maybe even intrigued. I think… I think he was quite literally overwhelmed with emotion and I… I was a catalyst for that so he was acting on instinct."

" _Instincts those things don't have_ ," Steve said slowly, with annoyance. "You're not thinking clearly, Bruce."

"No offense, Steve, but you weren't there," Bruce remained firm in his conviction. "You aren't the one he spoke to. You're not the one he—"

"Molested?" Steve spat, cutting him off.

"Kissed!" Bruce spat back. "Tenderly! _Curiously_!" Bruce sighed and lowered his voice. "Like… like, well, almost like an innocent kid or teenager would." He shook his head. "I don't care that it doesn't make sense because it's what happened. And I saw it on his face and in his eyes. He even _knew_ that what he was doing was outside of his programming, said so in a highly confused manner." He looked at Steve for a long moment of silence before looking at the others and then letting his eyes finally settle on Fury. "Don't you get it?" he asked desperately. "He was acting of his own accord because he. was. _feeling_. And then on top of it, he showed a capacity for Asimov's Law by making to protect me instead of himself. This is something that has never happened before to our knowledge. We can't just destroy him because we're afraid. If we go on being afraid, then why are we even fighting?" He shrugged and lifted his hands. "Huh? What is our end goal? Because there's no way in hell we'll ever be able to take out all of them, or Ultron, if we don't start taking chances. I hate to say it, but there's just not enough of us against them. We're doomed. Unless…"

"Unless, what?" Fury asked. "What are you suggesting, Doctor?"

Bruce bit his lip and glanced at Steve, knowing he was about to touch on a sensitive subject. "If they can reprogram us, why can't we reprogram them?"

"What!?" Steve barked out. "No, that's… No."

"Why?" Bruce countered. "Before we thought that there was just no way. That their coding was too hardwired and that they would self-repair. But now we have a precedence for change."

"We don't know that wasn't a one-time anomaly," Natasha spoke up. "It may very well still repair itself and whatever it is you think it," she slightly rolled her eyes and looked away, "felt for you might mean nothing."

Bruce pursed his lips and looked down, nodding gently. "You're right," he admitted. "You're right." She looked up at them. "And if that's the case then," he sighed, "we'll need to take him out like all of the rest. But," he looked at her and then back to Fury, "I still say we try. We reboot him and treat him with, well, with respect if we can get that far and then see what happens. Then if that doesn't work, we try something else. We try shutting him down again and then going in and reprogramming him with our own coding and see what we can do."

"Let me get this straight," Fury held out a hand, "you want to try humanely changing him first?"

"Yes," Bruce said with a nod. "It's like I told Steve. I don’t want to stoop to their level. Out in the field, when they're attacking us unprovoked, that's one thing. It's us or them. I understand that. I don't like it, but I understand it. But this robot is potentially different. And if we even reprogram it without giving it a chance, without seeing if we can't get consent, then we're no better than the monsters who reprogram us." He saw Steve flinch and frowned. "I'm sorry, Steve," he offered gently as the man rubbed at his head.

There was silence for several minutes then. Bruce looked around and then looked down at the table. Steve finally broke it with an incredulous, "Don't tell me you're actually considering this?" Bruce looked up again to see Fury was looking at him with his arms crossed and pensive gaze set on him.

"I am," Fury said after a moment of no answer. "But not because I think this is some inspired plan that has even a remote chance of working. I'm considering it because Dr. Banner has a point that we aren't going to get anywhere if we only keep doing what we've been doing." Then Fury set him with a hard look, dropping his arms. "But if you want to believe in fairy tales, Doctor, then you'll have the sole pleasure of being the Beauty to that Beast. I'm holding you personally responsible. Is that understood?"

Bruce took a deep breath, hoping he wasn't making a horrible mistake. "Understood."

 * *

"Dr. Robert Bruce Banner," was the LMD's first words when it came online – although they'd made sure to change his coding just enough to bypass the mainframe and work off of their secure server instead as a precaution – and focused on its surroundings, eyes landing on Bruce. Bruce was a little startled, but immediately optimistic that the android seemed to remember him without his eyes flashing blue in search for information about him.

"My friends call me Bruce," he offered.

"This is not right," he replied, slight vexation in his automated voice. Bruce raised his brow. "We are not friends."

"I suppose that's true," Bruce agreed, keeping his tone neutral. "But it could be different. If you wanted it to be."

"That is not my directive," the LMD said, matter-of-fact.

Bruce considered his next move carefully. He took a few steps back to put a non-threatening distance between them – or maybe for his own good, nodding calmly as he studied him. He removed his glasses and put them in his pocket, noting the way the android tracked his movements in a careful manner and then seemed to study him with his glasses off.

"That's not my directive either," he finally said. The android seemed genuinely taken aback. "You may not realize this, but as a human, I have a primary function, or directive if you will, too. That directive is to survive. I'm guessing that's not so different from your directive, is it?" The LMD gave a suspicious look, but then gave a single shake of his head. "Right. So for some humans we choose to survive by being subservient to your kind. We accept that you have become our rulers. We may not like it, but we stay put when we're supposed to and do everything we can to appease you. The problem with that is there is no guarantee. Some families are still split up, some humans deemed too dangerous for some reason or another, and that's that."

"It is for the greater good," the LMD declared.

"For you, and your fellow robots, yes, it is," Bruce said with a nod. "For me?" He shrugged. "If you look at my file I'm sure you'll see that I'm marked as a special human to be watched. I'm too smart. As such I'm dangerous. At any moment I could be destroyed by your kind even if I never had any intent of fighting back." The LMD looked surprised. "But there are humans who feel the only way to survive is to take your kind out, to fight back, to hide, and resist."

"The resistance," he responded, with obvious suspicion renewed.

"Yes," Bruce remained honest, "the resistance. I am… technically a part of it. I was found and brought in by the resistance to protect me from what might happen to me if one day it was decided I should be destroyed."

"But to resist is to be counted as an enemy. To be an enemy is to be destroyed," the LMD countered.

Bruce snorted in spite of himself. "It's called a lose-lose situation."

"Lose-lose?"

"I possibly lose if I stay put because I'm a potential enemy for being a genius, or I possibly lose by trying to resist and getting myself killed."

"The resistance kills robots," the LMD said, a sudden dangerous look in his eyes and edge to his voice. He took a few steps toward Bruce and Bruce straightened his back defensively.

"Yes," Bruce said with as much even courage as he could manage, "it does. When it can, or," he swallowed, "when it must to survive."

The LMD looked torn between two states of mind. One, Bruce could easily guess, was the directive to protect himself and carryout his order to destroy. What the other, Bruce couldn't begin to guess, but he hoped the conflict was in his favor. Then he took another step forward, crowding into Bruce's space not unlike he had when they'd first crossed paths.

"You did not kill me." The android looked perplexed again.

"I could have," Bruce told him, taking a shaky breath in. "When you kissed me, I had an ample opportunity to—"

"Kissed you?"

Bruce's eyes widened, his cheeks warming and no doubt coloring in a sheepish manner. "Um… Yes, kiss. When…" He looked around at anything but the studious robot, flustered as he tried to explain. "When you put your mouth on mine. That's something human's call a kiss." The LMD seemed unsure so Bruce barreled on past that point to the main one. "While you were, uh, doing that," he continued vaguely, "I found your kill switch. It's on the back of your head, in your hair," he explained. Then his eyes widened in horror when the robot moved his hand to prove his words. "No, don't press it!" Bruce grabbed his arm, and for a second they both froze, shocked as they stared at one another intently. Bruce slowly let go of his arm. "Just, gently," he explained. "Don't trigger it or you'll die."

The LMD's hand touched at the spot, confusion in his features and then let his hand fall to look down at it. Bruce was surprised to find himself sighing in genuine relief. "I do not understand."

"As far as our scientists have been able to figure out," Bruce explained, hoping it was the answer to the android's question, "every one of your kind has a kill switch located somewhere. This switch triggers a kill code in your system that leaves you malfunctioning permanently unless you are reassembled with a new system. It's an easy way for your kind to kill one another, like humans kill each other with guns or other weapons."

The android shook his head, clearly distraught and then brought his hand to the spot in his chest where his life source resided like anyone might do their heart, looking down at it as he did. Bruce furrowed his brow, trying to work this his own conflicting emotions. He'd never thought of those circles of light as hearts before and it was strange, maybe like a type of Stockholm Syndrome, that he felt actual pity for the android.

"This…" The LMD looked up at him with an intense gaze that Bruce couldn't look away from. "This is not right."

"No," Bruce sighed, "it's not." The android tilted his head slightly, glancing over his face. "But it is true. If you don't believe me, I have the means of showing you the kill code in your system."

There was a tense moment of silence and then the LMD said, "It is your directive to kill me." Bruce nodded. "I am still alive. That is not right."

Bruce smiled, somehow understanding the robot's disjointed and simple language – maybe, maybe better than he understood his own peers, which was a scary thought he didn't want to examine too closely. "According to my directive it is not right," he confirmed.

"Why?" he asked after another long moment of quiet pondering, his eyes flashing brown and blue as if trying to calculate the answer on his own.

Bruce took a deep breath, his lips thin as he glanced about, trying to calculate his own answer to the question now. None of the reasons he'd given Fury seemed correct now that he was standing face to face with something that, by all accounts on both sides, shouldn't be right. Then he met the android's eyes before glancing down at the hand still on his chest. Bruce took another breath and tentatively covered it with his own before glancing back upward through his lashes.

"Because something told me you didn't like the thought of carrying out your directive either."

The LMD's eyes widened and then softened again and to Bruce's surprise the android switched the positions of their hands so that Bruce's was pressed against his chest, the circle of light thrumming underneath very much like a heart.

"My serial number is 2 0 N dash E," the android said as he held Bruce's hand there. Now it was Bruce's eyes that were wider than normal as he realized he was giving him his name just as Bruce had offered at the start.

"20N-E," Bruce repeated and then smiled. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." He only hoped he knew what he was doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Narrative flip here I suppose. Instead of How To Train Your Hulk it's How To Train Your Tony-Bot lol.  
> 2\. This was probably terrible and I realize I left it hanging in the air the exact reasons for how and why Tony is an anomaly (although I do have ideas in my head) or why he seemed confused by the concept of a kiss even though he kissed Bruce.  
> 3\. And like, you know, poor Steve. Since obviously it was Bucky who was captured and reprogrammed :(


	39. Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random (cracky?) IM2 canon divergence au where Bruce and Tony meet.

Bruce stared in disbelief and slight disgust as the Stark Birthday Bash spiraled out of control. It was a miracle the guy wasn't on the floor. Tony Stark was a drunk mess, a hot and somehow still obnoxiously charismatic drunk mess, but Bruce had a very low tolerance for drunkenness and he was already on edge.

He'd come looking for a way to get to the man who might be able to help him with his problem. He was trying to get to him without having to go through the usual channels - the ones that would end up with his maybe being discovered and having to run again, but now that he was here he liked his chances through the usual channels better.

He contemplated what to do. He was beginning to worry the chaotic atmosphere might not be the best place for someone with his condition, but he'd already gone through this much trouble to get in.

"You don't seem like the kind of guy that usually comes to one of Tony's parties." His contemplation was interrupted by a man who screamed military.

Bruce took a deep breath against the surge of his adrenaline and tried to act casual. He chuckled lightly. "It shows, does it?"

The other man smiled widely. "A little."

"I'm more comfortable in a lab," he said, guessing that at least some of the guests at the party were Stark Industries employees. "But I thought I'd finally give into my curiosity. See what goes on at a Stark party."

The guy grimaced. "Yeah, well, sorry you picked this one. Stark parties get crazy, sure, but Tony's been a little..." He hesitates. "Not himself lately."

Bruce opened his mouth to respond, but then they were interrupted by Stark himself.

"Hey, Rhodey," Stark threw his arm around the other man. "Somebody just started a make-out contest. Be my—" He stopped short and let his arm fall from his friend's shoulder. "Actually, never mind." Tony looked him over and a chill ran down Bruce's spine. "Who's your friend, Rhodey? What's your name? Want to make out with me? I'm donating a million dollars to the winner's chosen charity. So, pick a charity and help me win. Seriously, what was your name again?"

Bruce blinked and looked back and forth between them, uncertain if any of this was actually real.

"Give him a chance to actually tell you his name, Tony," Rhodey said and then rolled his eyes. "Best of luck and if you need me to pull him off of you at any point, give me a holler," he said and hightailed it out of there.

"Uh, my name's Bruce," he said when Stark wouldn't stop looking at him. "But I don't want to make out with you."

Stark gave him an incredulous look and a slight pout. "Not even for a million dollars? Not the philanthropist type?"

Bruce stammered, "Uh, I... That is... It's—"

"If you're uncomfortable with kissing a stranger, even a devilishly handsome one," he added easily, "in front of people we could kiss a couple of times before you make your decision. I mean, no need to throw away a million dollars, right?"

"I feel like you're soliciting me right now," Bruce narrowed his eyes at the other man. He wasn't sure what to make of Stark now that he was up close and being more than personal. On the one hand he was still really obnoxious. On the other hand... Bruce shook his head. "You're offering money in exchange for physicality and I'm not exactly comfortable with that."

Stark blinked several times, opened his mouth and then closed it again. Bruce tried really hard not to focus his eyes on the movement. "Okay... so... it's the money that bothers you?" Stark asked slowly, as if trying to work it out with his lessened mental faculties. "So like if I _don't_ give any money would you make out with me?"

"I... What?" Bruce's head was spinning from the new question. Or maybe it was the fact that Stark had taken a few steps forward, lessening the space between them. It had been five years since he'd been close to another human being in this capacity, with the other human being wanting—

The thought was chased away by the touch of Stark's lips against his own. For about three seconds total Bruce debated if he should push the billionaire away and make a dash for it, but instead of doing the smart thing he did the thing that felt heady and right which was kiss Tony Stark back. Seemingly emboldened by that Stark kissed him more intensely and pressed their bodies closer together before pulling them into a convenient, quiet corner... a little down some hall.

Realizing this Bruce forced himself to pull away, to say something rational. "You're drunk," he tried the most obvious excuse.

"Only on you," Stark replied and captured his lips again.

Beyond reason, Bruce let him and they kissed for a moment before he broke the kiss again and said, "That was terrible. If you think you can seduce me with a line like _that_ keep dreaming." Then again, not saying a damn thing at all and just kissing him was working well enough. He needed to get control over this and fast.

"Duly noted," Stark replied. "And I'm not drunk." Bruce snorted in disbelief. "Want to give me a sobriety test?" Tony growled against his ear as he nuzzled him _and what the hell?_ There was _nothing_ about that question that should be a turn on, it was ridiculous actually, and yet his body gave an involuntary shiver.

"So do you always act that reckless and obnoxious?" Bruce asked dubiously just the same.

"Reckless, yes. Obnoxious... Try fun, entertaining, lively. By the way, there was never any make-out contest." Bruce furrowed his brow. "I lied. Saw you come in, couldn't take my eyes off of you. Wanted a reason to do this."

Bruce's surprise was cut off by Tony's eager lips yet again. God, Tony Stark _was_ obnoxious. But he couldn't stop kissing him. He didn't really taste like alcohol. So maybe Stark was more buzzed than actually drunk. Maybe his ridiculous behavior was all him? That notion should make him want this even less than if Stark were drunk.

"You should probably get back to your guests," Bruce said between kisses.

"Yeah, was..." Stark started pushing them down the hall, only breaking contact to speak. "...gonna put on the suit... do some entertaining." Stark broke apart and looked at him with dark eyes. "But there's only one guest I feel like entertaining at the moment." He contrasted the heat in his words and eyes with a soft stroke along Bruce's cheek.

"You're going to put on your suit?" Bruce went for deadpan, but his voice was wrecked and shaky.

Stark smirked. "I will if you're into that. Not that I'd blame you if you were," he said breezily. "But I was thinking a different suit might be more appropriate. It is my birthday after all."

God, he was obnoxious. And Bruce was maybe just as reckless.

*

When Tony had woken up on what was likely to be his very last birthday, he hadn't been sure of how he'd spend it. After a little prompting from Natalie he'd decided he'd do whatever the hell he wanted at his last birthday bash. He'd get as drunk as he wanted. He'd put on the suit. He'd break things. He'd be a juvenile mess if that's what he felt like. And he'd gotten a good start on that 'obnoxious' behavior.

Then a gorgeous party-crasher had waltzed in and nothing else mattered. The only thing he'd wanted was to make sure they knew each other better before he was, well, dead.

Currently he was propped up on an elbow studying this party-crasher, with his tussled waves falling into his face. It was a face that was sun-kissed and filled with nicks and morning stubble. His nose was a bit crooked and there seemed to be worry lines permanently etched into his face that Tony wondered what had put them there and if he could make them fade. God, he was just plain beautiful and Tony was terrified of how besotted he felt and angry that _it just didn't matter_.

Yeah, it would figure the one morning he didn't want to bolt for the door would be this one. Maybe there was something to that saying of saving the best for last.

Suddenly the gorgeous stranger started to stir, pulling Tony from his thoughts as he waited for him to wake up. He was a little bit surprised when he wasn't met with the usual dewey-eyed smile - or at least he assumed that's what one would be met with if he'd ever stuck around to find out - rather a furrowed brow and confused, raspy, "You're still here?"

Tony quirked his lips to one side, perhaps looking more goofy than suave, and furrowed his own brow. "Of course."

"I..." Bruce hesitated. Well, that was maybe an understatement. He blinked at him for at least a few moments. Then as if it was all the effort he could make after the prolonged silence, he shrugged lightly. "I guess I figured you to be one of those fuck and run types," he explained with a humorless snort.

Tony opened his mouth to respond, but didn't know _how_ to respond. So he went with deflection. "And what about you? You're obviously not if you're still here."

For some reason the other man sighed deeply and the lines in his face deepened as well. He looked around the room slowly and just as slowly said, "No, see, I'm more the type, I never let it get that far in the first place."

Maybe it was the strangeness of the whole morning in general, but Tony panicked a little at that, hoping he hadn't misjudged horribly. Had he been drunker than he thought? "Are you saying you regret it? Did I-"

"No," Bruce replied quickly, his eyes widening as they snapped back to look at him. "No, it's... Well, okay, I wasn't expecting it," he admitted, a silent chuckle escaping his lips like a puff of air. "But, trust me, if I hadn't wanted you, um, would have known."

"Well, that's reassuring," Tony said with a genuine sigh and lazy laugh. They lingered there in silence and Tony wondered what he should say or do. He wasn't used to this. And it wasn't like he needed practice for the future, he mused and even his inner-voice sounded bitter. Well then. As long as he had no previous example to follow and not much time left anyhow, he decided to go with his instincts and do whatever felt right. So he reached out a hand to stroke Bruce's arm, starting to explain, "I'm still here because-"

"You're dying," Bruce cut him off with a strangled whisper, face looking genuinely disheartened. Tony's eyes widened and his hand stopped its movement. Bruce's eyes moved in a slow downward motion until they settled on his bare chest. "Something from that is poisoning you, isn't it?"

"I... Uh..."

"Given where you were-" He paused, as if realizing it might not be a topic Tony would want brought up. He restarted, "I can only think of a few easily gotten elements you would have been able to use to get it to work at all." Bruce bit down on his bottom lip and Tony wasn't sure what to feel. He was suddenly and genuinely vulnerable, confused, intrigued and maybe starting to take interest in a rather different way. All at once, which was overwhelming to say the least. He was hardly more used to that kind of stimulation than he was used to sticking around the next morning. Bruce met his gaze again. "Palladium?"

"H-how..." Suspicion was added to the mix, for good reason all things considered with Stane before and Vanko now. Say nothing of the U.S. Government. "Are you a spy? Or are you-"

"I'm a scientist," Bruce replied neutrally and, frankly, Tony wished he'd known _that_  little detail sooner. Because if beautiful-Bruce is also brainy-Bruce Tony is sure he could have gone at least a few more rounds on top of the few they'd gone, had the other man been interested. "Your, um," Bruce pointed towards the darkened veins tentatively, "rash indicates some kind of toxicity poisoning." Honestly, Tony had forgotten all about it and Bruce hadn't mentioned it in any way when they'd first found themselves sans clothing. "And guessing how a miniature arc reactor would have to work in order to be functional in the human body, I can only imagine some kind of bombardment is happening." The man wasn't just _brainy_ , Tony realized suddenly. He had to be nothing short of a genius. Nobody else was even close to figuring it out yet; well, maybe save Vanko, but he seemed to have an unfair advantage. Jeez, he really _had_ saved the best for last and now it was even more unfair. "So, _are_ you?" Bruce had been going on some more while Tony's vision had tunneled, but the question - earnest and tentative - brought him back to the moment.

Tony swallowed hard and closed his eyes. "Yes." He'd been trying to tell his closest friends for months and this disarming stranger had come along and given him some sort of mystifying reason for him to be honest.

"Just my luck," Bruce mumbled, almost sadly. Tony opened his eyes and looked at him. The other man had his eyes closed now and he wasn't even sure if he'd meant for Tony to hear that comment. "There's gotta be a way," he then said suddenly, opening his eyes and for a moment Tony thought they looked hazel when he was sure they were brown before.

"I've tried," Tony said with a shrug of his head. "There's no working solution to the equation."

"I'll help you," he offered. "We can at least look for a way to-to, I don't know, slow down the bombardment or maybe create some drug to lessen the toxicity in your blood? There's got to be some kind of variable that'll work, or at least give you time to find something better."

Tony smiled in spite of himself. Then he sighed and shook his head. "Pretty certain it's too late at this point. As much as I'd love that, especially now that I've met you," he added with earnest sentiment before he could even process what he was saying. Although, Bruce looked reasonably uncertain. After all, sweet nothings from a dying man you'd only just met and had a one night stand with were probably more dubious than romantic. "I've resigned myself to this," he finished his initial statement. Then he sighed. "I should have died months ago in Afghanistan." He shrugged in a nonchalant manner even if he was anything but. He'd given these thoughts plenty of time to run around and breed in his mind since he'd first realized the inevitable. "I had this coming." 

He closed his eyes and silence hung in the air between them. He was positive this wasn't what pillow talk normally sounded like, but he supposed it was at least a more novel way of spending the hours following his final birthday than spending them with a hangover that would probably just make him wish for the death that was coming anyway. 

"Do you maybe want to get coffee and donuts somewhere?" Tony asked on a sudden whim. Getting coffee and donuts with this random genius seemed like another thing he'd like to do while he still had time. Or maybe if he was putting it in proper words he meant he'd like to go on a genuine date with him. 

Bruce blinked and his mouth opened slightly, no doubt at the non-sequitur. 

"So that's it?" Bruce asked in disbelief when he did speak, not what Tony had been expecting in answer to the question. "You've given up? Because you think you deserve this?"

"I do," Tony stated bluntly, wondering if that was a no on the coffee and donuts. He also momentarily wondered if this man had been living under a rock somewhere not to realize this was just Karma finally catching up to _The Great Tony Stark (TM)_ , in a crueler way than his dying with Yinsen in those caves.

An awkward silence followed as they stared at one another intently and then Tony had to wonder if they'd already reached an impasse in their strange little fling, no matter how much Tony would have liked it to go on just a little bit longer than he was used to. He sighed and sat up in the bed, legs swinging over the side of the mattress. He pursed his lips and looked around his room, feeling the bed shift behind him as Bruce sat up as well.

He sighed and looked back over his shoulder, meaning to say something. Maybe apologize for ruining the mood somehow or for being an asshole who still thought too much with his dick even when dying. But then his eyes caught on the sight of the other man, clearly distraught as he wrung his hands and chewed on his lip. His brow was creased like he was considering the situation.

Then Bruce's eyes, definitely brown, met his and Tony wasn't sure what magic they possessed because before he could stop himself he was on the other side of the bed pushing Bruce back down, ravaging his lips as he did.

"I... I need to tell you something," Bruce said between kisses. "It's... important."

Tony pulled away from a long, rather sloppy sort of kiss and looked at the other man, wishing he'd met him sooner. "The only thing important is right now," he told him, roving his eyes all over him, memorizing him. "Because for all I know it may be all I-"

"Don't say-"

"If so, I want-"

"Tony-"

They seemed equally unable to finish any of their thoughts as they kissed feverishly, hands scrabbling for purchase on one another. Their bodies began to move on their own basal instinct to find where they needed to be, which currently was closer than humanly possible and-

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Tony scrambled up onto his knees in alarm, straddling Bruce, and looked behind him to see Nick Fury, and Natalie dressed in a bewildering catsuit at his side, standing in his doorway watching them in their compromising position with unimpressed aplomb.

"Oh god," Bruce choked out beneath him. Tony assumed it must be embarrassment and quickly looked down at him, ready to reassure him, but was instead startled to find the man's face contorted as if in some mental or emotional struggle. His breathing was ragged and Tony rolled off of him so he could breathe more easily. "Not now," he cried and scrambled out of the bed, holding his head and dropping to his knees on the floor uncaring of his decency, or lack thereof. Not that Tony cared either way. He was just really confused and starting to feel like there were _a lot_ of missing variables in the equation.

"Bruce?" Tony glanced at Fury who seemed to be assessing the situation, Natalie looking a little more wary than before, and then back at the other man. He quickly stood to move over to him.

"Handle this," he heard Fury say.

Tony whipped his head around to ask him what he meant by that, but before any words could leave his mouth a painful _ahhgh_ did instead when something was injected into his neck. Within the same fell swoop Natalie had a pistol aimed at Bruce, several shots fired before Tony could even process what was happening. The man fell into a crumpled heap on the floor.

"What the hell!?" Tony looked at her and then spun around looking at Fury. Then he moved to Bruce's side to check if he was bleeding out. That's when he realized he'd been shot up with tranquilizers. He pulled one out and studied it, eyes widening at the fact it was the kind of tranq that could fell an elephant. And he'd been darted with _several_. Miraculously he still had a pulse. Tony shot back up to his feet and turned toward Fury again only to have a robe thrown at him. He put it on, each movement of his body filled with indignation and confusion. "You have ten seconds to tell me what's going on here."

"How about _you_ tell _me_ , Stark," Fury clipped.

"This isn't what I meant," Natalie added, and Tony had to assume she meant her advice since there was no further explanation. "I get that you're dying," she said, taking him further by surprise, although he wasn't sure how further surprise was even possible at this point, "but _really_?" She lifted an eyebrow and studied him in away that implied he was truly insane before glancing at Bruce, another wary expression passing over her face. And that was the final straw. 

"I demand answers and I demand them now. Starting with what the hell you injected me with and why nobody else in this room is concerned you likely just killed a man with elephant tranqs."

"He's fine," Fury said in a pointed manner. "You probably will be too if you stop fucking around."

"Literally apparently," Natalie said with a small smirk, glancing at Fury and then schooling it again. 

"Okay, I'm starting to think you're not Natalie Rushman," Tony replied to that, narrowing his eyes at her.

"This is Agent Natasha Romanoff. One of my best," Fury said. "As for the injection, it's a little something called lithium dioxide. It's not a cure, but it'll take the edge off. Maybe long enough for you to get your head out of your ass. Engineer, fix thyself."

Tony snorted. "Okay. Sure." He nodded, gazing at them with contempt. The look might be a little ruined by the fact that he was wearing nothing but a robe. "I'll do that just as soon as we make contact with life on other planets. Oh right. I'll be _dead_ before that happens." Natalie, or Natasha, or whoever the hell she really was, glanced at Fury with a quirked eyebrow.

"You might be surprised, Stark," Fury said calmly. "The lithium dioxide isn't the only gift I have for you," he said, with about as much clearness as mud. "But first let's talk about the elephant in the room."

Tony blinked, looked at Bruce, still unconscious and chest still rising and falling steadily, then looked back. "You mean the elephant tranqs in the room? Because last time I checked, Bruce there isn't an elephant." For some reason Fury actually snorted. That was probably odder than everything else put together. 

Then he schooled his expression into a hard, incredulous scowl again. "Several interested parties have been looking for Dr. Banner for roughly five years, Stark. So you want to fill us in on how one of the three smartest men on this planet just happened to end up in the bed of one of the other three smartest men on this planet?"

"I would, but I don't fuck and tell," Tony snipped, glancing at Bruce with a new state of awe. Dr. Bruce Banner had been a brilliant nuclear physicist.

"Like hell you don't," Natasha muttered and he glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow. 

Then he narrowed his eyes and they flickered back over to Bruce. "Wait, I thought Dr. Banner was dead. Didn't he die in some accident on a military project? Could have sworn Stark Industries had investment in it." He thought back. "And provided the equipment for the project," he added with a firm nod. He looked at Fury. "Incidentally, I'm also wondering who the third smartest person is and who's even keeping track."

"Officially?" Fury pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah, Dr. Banner is dead. Unofficially, and truthfully?" Fury tilted his head, studying him intently with his one eye. A quick glance at Natasha told him she already knew the punchline. "You're one of the interested parties that's been aiding in the effort to take him down." Tony's eyes widened and he looked at Bruce. "Mr. Stark, meet the Hulk."

"Holy shit."

*

Bruce's gradual rise from unconsciousness was to a cacophony of what sounded like a sledgehammer against a tile floor. Oddly, when he finally blinked open his eyes and got his bearings, that's precisely what he discovered it to be. He slowly sat up on the couch he was lying on with a robe wrapped around him. He looked around the room before his eyes settled again on Tony Stark as he smashed up the floor of what appeared to be a workshop.

Tony stopped for a moment, and swung the tool back over his shoulder as he straightened up, wiping his brow with his wrist. That's when he met Bruce's watching eyes. He blinked a few quick times and then a smirk spread across his face.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked.

The answer was yes, of course, but even if he was dying Bruce wasn't quite sure the man needed his ego stroked. So he answered, "I've seen better." He rubbed at his eyes and looked over at a table where his clothes were neatly folded.

"That wasn't a no," Tony responded breezily. "For the record, you were right earlier about your bit of information being important."

Bruce was suddenly awake and alert, heart rate spiking, as he snapped his attention back to Tony. "Oh god." His eyes darted all around as he tried to search his memories for something more than the pleasure of the night before and their conversation earlier that morning. "Did I hurt you?" He met Tony's gaze, face scrunched in worry as to the answer. Tony _seemed_ fine. Then Bruce looked at the floor and then around again at the room-at-large, suddenly noticing it looked like a disaster.

"If you're asking whether or not you turned into a giant, green, rage monster the answer is no." Bruce looked back to see Tony's lips were pursed. "Although it might have been dicey there for a minute since Fury and his girl Friday have apparently never heard of knocking." Bruce's eyes widened as the rest of it came back to him. "Fucking cockblocks are what they are," Tony mumbled. Bruce's eyes widened even further; he no doubt looked comical now. "But I guess I'll give them a pass this time for passing along dear old dad's message from beyond," he said with a snort and, frankly, Bruce's mind couldn't really keep up. "Although he's nuts if he thinks he's getting his hands on you."

Bruce caught that part loud and clear. "Wait, what?"

"Sorry about the weapons by the way," Tony said nearly at the same time, still in the middle of his dithyramb. Then he stopped and furrowed his brow. "Oh, right. Fury tried to insist he take you into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody for your protection. I told him he could fuck off."

"Why?" It was all Bruce could manage. He wasn't sure if he should be surprised or suddenly suspicious of Tony now that Stark knew who he really was.

"Well, the sex was phenomenal," Tony said first and Bruce blinked several times. That wasn't a response he'd been expecting. "And now that I'm not dying any time in the foreseeable future, I'd rather not have to visit you wherever S.H.I.E.L.D. lugs you off to whenever either one of us wants it, you know? Not to mention I'm still waiting on an answer to the coffee and donuts," he said very seriously. "Also, now that I know who you are, I'd love to talk to you about your brilliant work on anti-electron collision. Stark Industries could definitely use somebody like you." The list of responses Bruce hadn't been expecting grew. "Oh, then there's the very obvious fact that if you'd come here to kill me because of the weapons, well, you probably would have by now. So the logical hypothesis is you came here for another reason." He shrugged. "Call me curious."

Bruce opened his mouth, half-expecting Tony to catch his breath and then go barreling on again about sex and not dying and S.H.I.E.L.D. and-

"You're not dying?" That part struck him at last.

"Well, knock on wood, but that's the plan," Tony said with a smile. "You missed a lot while you had those tranqs in your system."

"How long have I been out?" Bruce asked in disbelief. He wasn't aware tranquilizers even worked on him. 

"About an hour or so." 

Bruce blinked. "You figured out how not to die in an hour?" He gave him an incredulous look.

Tony sighed. "Okay Romanoff _might_ have tranq'd you again when she got antsy."

"Um..."

"But regardless of the details, yes, I've...discovered a potential fix." Bruce wondered at his hesitation. "Which reminds me of another reason why I told Fury what's for." He lifted the sledgehammer a few times, in a demonstration of what Bruce had no clue. "Need to build a particle accelerator."

Bruce coughed in surprise. "A what?" 

"I mean, true, I _could_ do it on my own. But it'll be more fun with a hot assistant." He grinned blindingly. "So what do you say, Dr. Banner? Still inclined to help me?"

Bruce wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when he'd risked everything in desparation to come to Stark, but none of the things that had come to pass so far would have come to mind and certainly not being asked to help Tony instead. The other man was no doubt still a little obnoxious, but, well, maybe Bruce was still just as reckless. 

"Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~commence them beating Vanko and becoming consultants for SHIELD together~~


	40. Smile

"Aha. That's it." Bruce broke from his deep thoughts at the sound of Tony's exclamation. He focused his eyes on the engineer expecting him to be looking at whatever it was he was working on only he found that Tony's attention was fixed on him. Wagging a finger toward him, he said, "That's the smile."

Bruce blinked and then furrowed his brow. "The uh… Um, what?"

"The smile," Tony repeated. "The smile I haven't figured out yet."

"That…" Bruce rolled his lips. "That's not really helpful, but okay." He decided to go back to his own work. He'd been zoned out long enough, he figured.

"You have multiple smiles," Tony said, coming over to where Bruce sat at his own work station. "You didn't know that?"

Bruce snorted, his eyes scanning over a bit of information on the screen. "No, not really."

"Well," Tony pointed, "you do."

"If you say so," Bruce replied with a shrug.

"JARVIS," Bruce glanced up to see Tony was looking at him with his intent, _I won't rest until I prove this to you_ expression, "pull up the evidence on Bruce's current screen."

"Yes, sir. And my apologies, Dr. Banner."

Bruce furrowed his brow at that while Tony scowled at the nearest camera. Then suddenly there were several pictures on his screen. All of… him… smiling. His eyes went wide and he looked up at Tony.

"What the hell?" He then started flicking through the images, all taken no doubt by JARVIS at random moments.

"You've got a slightly amused smile. Your well and good and truly happy smile. My favorite by the way," Tony started in explanation. "You've got your exasperated smile. And sleepy smile. And that your rueful smile, usually used when you're putting yourself down again so probably at the bottom of my list," he said with an ironic frown. "And then you have your uncomfortable smile."

"Don't we all?" Bruce said as he clicked through photo after photo, realization dawning on him and hope growing in his chest.

"There it is again," Tony pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up at him. That's when he realized he was smiling. Smiling the same way he must have been earlier since his thoughts had been in a similar place. "That smile it's… You know, maybe _it's_ my favorite now," Tony said in a considering tone. "But I just haven't figured out the why or what for yet." He gave him a calculating look. "It sort of came out of nowhere. Like a surprise smile," he said in a teasing manner and Bruce ducked his head because Tony didn't even realize how much of a surprise it had been. "How many more smiles do you have hidden, hmm?"

"Tony," Bruce took a breath and took a chance, "do you really not know?" He looked up at him again.

Tony gave his own smile, a confused and slightly crooked one. "No, what do you think I've been saying? I—" He stopped abruptly, eyes widening with dawning clarity. Because he was a genius, even if every now and then he needed a small hint.

"JARVIS," Bruce clicked on one of the photos on the screen featuring the smile he was fairly certain Tony meant because he distinctly remembered the moment, "do you have any way of pulling up a wider view of this image?"

"Yes, Dr. Banner. It will take me a moment to cross reference the time stamp and pull up the accompanying surveillance."

Bruce held his breath as he stood to his feet, Tony coming around to stand beside him. Then the image on the screen expanded and Bruce's heart beat in his chest.

"Oh."

Tony then turned his head to look at Bruce with a smile of his own, soft and yet somehow still blinding. Bruce had a feeling that was Tony's _I'm in love with you too_ smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something succinct and saccharine today. 
> 
> Mostly because my depression has been beating me up pretty badly over the past week, and yesterday and today has been pretty extra miserable, making even thinking of writing anything with the ironic prompt of smile a tad difficult. Hope it still turned out okay.
> 
> 10 prompts to go! I'm already working on the next one which will be longer and snippets of a few of the other prompts. That said I'll probably be taking at the very least a weekend break from posting or working on it to 1. focus on my health and 2. focus my attention on another wip fic so that I can have it finished on Valentine's Day *fingers crossed*


	41. Innocence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday! Or Tuesday. Here's some fluffy crack for the start of the week. Um, so tw I suppose for schoolboy crushes and innocent kissing between 6 & 7 year-olds.

Phil momentarily considered turning around and leaving the underground SHIELD testing facility, heading back to headquarters, marching straight into Director Fury's office and handing him his resignation. When he'd gotten the emergency call to come oversee clean-up following an accident he hadn't expected to find himself faced with anything that would have him considering a magical scepter through the chest and being revived from death only to undergo months of reparative surgery, and say nothing of the physical therapy that followed, a cake walk in comparison. A disaster zone of broken technology and room filled with children, one whose identity couldn't be mistaken as he threatened an adult agent using his family name and then telling them he could build a robot to vanquish all the agents and then they'd really be sorry, definitely had him thinking it possible.

Phil sighed and then turned his attention toward an agent headed his way. "What am I looking at here, agent?" he asked for an immediate brief, keeping the boy in his peripheral view.

"Today was the first test for the machine. It went critical, but prior to exploding every agent and scientist in the testing zone was, well, transformed as you can see."

Phil glanced at the boy and then around the room some more. He hated to disagree with the obvious, but still he raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Are you telling me that the time portal made everyone a child again?"

"Yes, sir. We've questioned a few of them and had to console others. They all seem to behave as though they're genuinely the ages they look. They have no memory of anything other than where they should be, if this were about thirty plus years ago."

Phil furrowed his brow, looking around again at the various ages. "Were all of them even born yet?" He wondered suddenly.

"A few agents had the same worry so we looked into it. Records show that thankfully the youngest in the room was a scientist." The agent pointed to another agent far off in one corner and Phil narrowed his gaze only for it to widen again at the sight of the agent rocking back and forth gently with a baby tucked in his arms. "Approximately five months old."

Phil definitely missed physical therapy at the moment. At the very least it would mean someone else could deal with this mess. "Get Director Fury on the line for me, Agent." The agent nodded and hurried off to carry out the order. Phil sighed and made his way over the tiny terror still giving the agent with him an earful.

"And if my dad doesn't stop you Jarvis will tell Aunt Peggy and she will!"

"Tony," Phil said in a tone that he hoped was authoritative while still gentle. The boy blinked his eyes up at him in round surprise, flinching a little.

"Who are you?"  

Phil had only a few seconds to debate the ethics of lying to a child that technically shouldn't be a child before going with, "I'm Mr. Coulson. Or Phil," he offered just in case it would help with trust. "You can call me either. And your family knows you're here. You're completely safe, I promise."

Little Tony furrowed his brow, tilting his head further back on his neck to look up at him in a scrutinizing manner. Then he dropped his head towards the floor. "Is this a new boarding school?" he asked, sounding a little forlorn at the prospect.

Phil felt a pang of sympathy for Stark in spite of everything. "Kind of. But it's only temporary," he offered. "It's more like a camp." With any luck this wouldn't be permanent or else he'd regret it later when they had to tell him the truth.

As it was Tony's head whipped back up, his brown eyes bright and cheery. "Like a science camp!?" He looked over at the mess of the machine. "Is that why there's all this science equipment?" He hurried over to look at it, emboldened by the lack of immediate danger apparently. " _Man_ ," he said, elongating the word, "this looks like it blew up!" He suddenly disappeared to the other side of the large bit of wreckage and Phil sighed.

"Um, sir, there's another thing," the agent that had been dealing with Tony started, but was unable to finish when there was the sound of Tony tripping over something.

"Ow! Hey! What was—" Tony stopped abruptly.

Phil hurried around the machine to see what had happened only to stop abruptly as well. Curled up and sleeping in a small crater was a young version of Dr. Banner, who'd also been working on the project. Phil really wish that somebody had briefed him on the fact that Dr. Banner had been affected too. Then again, he figured that it made sense in retrospect as nobody had called him into the room sooner to deal with a young Tony Stark. Speaking of Tony, he must have tripped over Bruce because now he was on his knees staring at him with wide, wonder-struck eyes. Honestly, Coulson was contemplating that resignation even more now.

*

"You've got to be kidding," Pepper was the first one to say something as Phil briefed her, Steve, Natasha and Clint on the accident at the research facility where Tony and Bruce had been working on a possible time machine using arc reactor technology. She'd laughed at the idea when Tony had pitched it for the next big Stark Industries project, but only because it seemed highly impossible – even with incidents like Steve Rogers, Thor, aliens and portals to space taken into consideration – and not because she would have considered this kind of ramification. "They're _children_?"

She glanced at the others to see them looking just as skeptical. Phil sighed and gave a nod.

"How is that even possible?" Steve asked. "I mean, I know I'm a man out of time," he hazarded. "But the I was preserved in ice while the world went on without me. You're saying a machine, what, regressed them somehow?"

"We're going with the term de-aged," Phil said, and Pepper hoped her expression told him how entirely unhelpful that was as a response. He glanced at her and then straightened his back so she decided it must have. "But, yes, essentially. We've got a team of specialists looking into the variables leading up to the incident, with the hope that they'll be able to reverse this somehow. All we can guess is rather than open a portal to the specified mark, it went haywire and somehow warped the existence of those within range. Rather than send them back thirty odd years it altered our present reality so that they themselves have lost those years of their life." Pepper could tell that Phil was using a good deal of patience to explain to them what essentially even he seemed inclined to believe was ludicrous, even if it seemed to be the truth.

"I'm starting to wonder if Asgard deals with weird shit like this," Clint suddenly said and they all looked at him. "Because I'm not sure I can handle any more of Earth's scientific progress."

"Right," Natasha snorted, "because you'd rather go live someplace where they call it magic?"

"At least they're advanced enough that they'd probably already have a magical fix for something like this," he replied with an easy shrug.

"Which," Phil spoke again, "is precisely why we're trying our best to contact Thor to join our team of specialists."

Pepper sighed. "So what are we supposed to do?" She looked at Phil very seriously. "You said they think they're at a science camp?"

He nodded. "The ones who are old enough do, yes. Some of the younger ones are in the care of other agents for the time being."

"Have you contacted relatives yet?" Clint asked.

"We're working on it. We want to approach that aspect delicately," Phil said. "But for now the older ones are at a science camp that will be based here at Stark Tower." Pepper's eyes widened. "We're working on getting all of the necessary items to pull this off. Also the kids will need more clothes since we don't know how long this will last."

"Why do I feel like there's a punchline coming?" Natasha lifted an eyebrow.

"Because it's obvious we've all been promoted to the role of camp counselors," Clint said with something between a snort and a sigh.

"As in we'll have to take care of them?" Steve looked around for confirmation of Clint's meaning.

"Afraid so," Phil replied and Pepper looked at him with blinking eyes. "We need to keep this in-house. And obviously Stark and Banner need to be watched by us specifically. We're not certain yet if Bruce can still turn into the Hulk, but he was mid-transformation when the machine started to blow only for it not to take. Security footage indicates he must have immediately transformed back into, well, his younger self."

"Seriously," Clint mumbled, "this is weird shit."

Phil snorted. "Yeah, I've penned my resignation letter about three times already."

"Oh no," Pepper said, "don't you dare abandon us."

"I won't," Phil gave her a small smile and shake of his head, "but I can't be here all the time. So," he sighed and his looked turned into a grimace, still aimed at her, "Fury told me to elect somebody as overseer of this, well, I guess you could call it a potential elementary school."

Pepper's eyes widened in sudden realization. "Me? You're electing me?" He hitched a shoulder. "I refuse. I can't do that. I have Stark Industries to run. I'm going to have to come up with some kind of cover story if this lasts longer than we want it to and the Board starts to wonder about a couple of missing people. I… No, I can't. No."

Phil just gave her one of his patently patient looks, one where she knew she was doomed from the get-go because he'd already calculated her response and formulated a reasonable counter argument. "I know you have responsibilities. But the others will help you." He looked at them. "You will. This won't just be on her." He looked back then. "But, I'd rather a non-Avenger be the person on this for many reasons. Also," his lips quirked upward, "if anyone here has the experience when it comes to baby-sitting Stark, I'd say it's you." Pepper rolled her eyes, but she had to admit it was a good point. "Likewise, when neither of us are here, the chain of command then falls to Agent Romanoff."

"Of course it does," Natasha said glancing at Pepper with an eye roll of her own.

"Fine," Pepper conceded. "Where are the little darlings?"

Phil took her alone to the recreational lounge, citing that he didn't want to overwhelm the kids by introducing them to everyone at once, and she nearly froze. There were several kids running around and playing, which made sense seeing as the place must be like some bizarre futuristic paradise for them. But then there was one very bored looking boy, laying upside down on the couch, that she would recognize even if working with Tony for years hadn't given her several glimpses at him as a kid in pictures.

"How old is he?" Pepper asked Phil under her breath.

"He said he's seven." Pepper nodded as she found fortitude and followed Phil closer.

"Hey! It's you!" Tony's eyes widened and he quickly rolled over and off the couch. He came bounding over. "This science camp is boring. Sure, there's lots of cool stuff here and it's sort of like The Jetsons," he said with a wrinkle of his nose, "but where's the actual science stuff?"

"Coming soon," Phil promised. "Today is just about getting to know each other and getting settled in. Make sense?"

Tony huffed and muttered, "I guess so." This his eyes trained on her and Pepper offered a nervous smile. "You're pretty! Who are you?"

Pepper's smile turned into a chuckle because of course Tony would offer a compliment prior to introduction. "I'm Miss Pepper," she went with. "I'm one of the people in charge here."

"You're in charge?" Tony asked with wide eyes. "Usually ladies in charge are old and ugly, but you're almost as pretty as my mom," he said, and then narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you even a scientist?"

Pepper blinked. "Well, no," she hedged. "But I work with scientists all day long. And… I've worked for your dad's company," she fibbed.

"Oh, so that's why dad is letting me be here instead of boarding school right now," Tony said in an enlightened tone. Pepper frowned, sharing a glance with Phil. "Well, you're really pretty," he repeated, smiling up at her, "so I hope—" Whatever he was about to say was aborted when the elevator pinged open and Maria Hill came into the room with a little boy at her side, one that made Tony's face light up and forget all about her. "Hey, it's you!" Tony ran over to him. "I was thinkin' you got lost since you wasn't here."

Pepper gave a small smile as the boy, who was unmistakably Bruce, looked back and forth between Tony and Maria with an absolutely bewildered expression. "Something about that felt oddly familiar," Pepper said with a chuckle to Phil at her side. He chuckled and gave a nod.

*

Steve wasn't sure he enjoyed being the sole supervisor of activity time while Clint and Natasha prepared lunch for the kids, but it was his turn so he figured it was a duty he had to grin and bear. He looked up from his work on lazy doodle of the various young agents and two young Avengers to assess that everything was still going smoothly. Some of the kids were at an art station he'd set up. A couple were reading and the rest were scattered about at various stations that were science-related, mostly things that Steve had no real understanding of.

Tony and Bruce were at the station nearest him, building something with an erector set far more advanced than any of the ones they'd had when he'd been a kid. Or at least, Bruce was building something. Tony had his elbows rested on the table and his chin settled on top of his closed fists as he stared at Steve in a suspiciously studious way. He'd been doing that every so often over the past couple of days, ever since they'd all been introduced; that is, when he wasn't singularly focused on Bruce, the other seemingly uncertain about his self-appointed shadow even if he didn't say anything.

"Is something wrong, Tony?" Steve asked in a patient tone, noting the way Bruce flinched and quickly looked at Tony as if assessing that he was okay.

Tony twisted his face a little, as if considering the question or whether or not he would answer it before dropping his hands and fixing him with a curious look. "Mr. Steve, are you Captain America?"

Steve sputtered at the unexpected question.

"Captain America is dead," Bruce said quietly as he looked at him and then back at the erector set.

"I know that," Tony said with a bemused look at Bruce and tilt of his head. "But my dad and my Aunt Peggy have all sorts of pictures of him and Aunt Peggy calls him Steve." Then Tony glanced back at him. "And Mr. Steve you look an awful lot like him." Bruce paused his work and looked at him too, as if considering what Tony had to say might be the truth.

Steve realized he couldn't risk shattering the illusion at the present time, even if he wasn't sure he was comfortable with what they were doing, so with a forced chuckle he said, "Well, don't you think I'd be older like your dad and Aunt Peggy if I was?"

Tony scrunched his face as one elbow found the table again and his head moved down to lean against his closed fist. He studied him long enough that beside him Bruce gave a small shrug and focused his attention on building.

"Well," Tony finally said in a deliberating tone, "you're really old." Steve's eyes crinkled in amusement. Tony sat up straight again. "But I guess you're not as old as my dad is." Suddenly another kid came over and sat down on the other side of Bruce to build as well. Bruce seemed a little surprised, while Tony immediately frowned. He started studying the situation not unlike how he'd been studying Steve - like it was some new puzzle to work out. "Mr. Steve?" Tony said, though not taking his eyes off of the dilemma beside him.

"Yes, Tony?" Steve asked, trying to hold back his amusement.

"Do you think my dad liked Captain America even though he likes my mom?"

Steve's amusement fell at the non-sequitur, eyes going wide. "Um… I… I don't know," he said in earnest. It's really nothing he'd ever considered about Howard. He'd always assumed they were both vying for Peggy's attention even if there'd been a few times they'd been relatively close… No, he didn't want to think about it.

"It's just he talks about him all the time," Tony continued. "Like more than Aunt Peggy and she says she was his girlfriend."

Steve smiled at that and then refocused his eyes on Tony to see him trying to insert himself back into the building process, or more accurately regain Bruce's full attention. He didn't even seem to realize Bruce had scooted closer to him, away from the other child as if Tony was inherently safer to be close to. Suddenly, Steve thought he understood the real meaning behind the original question.

"If your dad did like Captain America," he said, not dwelling on the specifics too long, "that's okay, Tony."

Tony's eyes went wide and he looked back at him quickly. "Even if Captain America was a man too? And even if dad likes mom?"

"Even if," Steve affirmed. "You're allowed to like both boys and girls."

Bruce looked at him quickly too, as if it was a revelation. Then the two boys glanced at each other for a moment, sharing a look of disbelief before that look turned sheepish. Bruce was, unsurprisingly, the first to look away. They returned to building together and Steve smiled. Since Tony seemed out of questions, Steve returned to his word search, although not without another look around.

A few minutes later he heard Tony ask, "Do you wanna sit beside me at lunch again today?" He didn't have to look up to know who the question was aimed at.

He looked up anyways to see the small smile on Bruce's face and shy nod.

*

Clint's turn to make the lights out round inevitably came, after Phil and Pepper and Natasha each took theirs. The kids had been divided into groups of three or four in the various, quickly rearranged barracks there were on one floor of the tower. He moved through each room, telling the kids goodnight and flipping out the lights. It wasn't until he got to the room Stark was in that he was met with a challenge. 

"Alright kiddos," he said. _Time to go the fuck to sleep_ , he thought with a snort. "Time for bed." He watched as one of the kids,  a SHIELD scientist, put aside a book and then laid down obediently. He then then looked to see Bruce was already asleep in his own bed, interestingly enough. He then looked at Tony who was defiantly still reading some science book of sorts. "That means you too, Tony," Clint said.

Tony looked up at him with a contemplative expression then flipped a page of his book and looked back down. "I’m not tired," he said.

"Well, whether or not you sleep is up to you. But it's lights out time. So—"

"No, you can't turn the lights out," Tony said, shutting his book and scrambling forward on his cot.

"Why not? Because if I do you can't read?" Clint asked with a snort. "Sorry kid."

"No, you just can't," he said again.

Clint narrowed his eyes. "What, are you afraid of the dark or something?"

"No!" Tony said in a defiant tone and crossed his arms.

"Then the lights are going out," Clint said and turned them off. Before he could even blink, Tony jumped out of bed and hurried over to turn them back on. He then, for some inexplicable reason, turned and looked at Bruce. "Okay, that's it. I'm turning these lights off and if you turn them back on—" He stopped when he saw Bruce flinch in his sleep and grip tightly his blankets. _Shit_. It suddenly occurred to him what was going on. He looked down to see Tony scowling at him with his hands fisted at his sides. "I'm sorry," Clint apologized, holding up his hands in a placating fashion.

"He doesn't like yelling," Tony said, tone cool and matter-of-fact. He then turned and went over to stand beside the other boy's cot. "I don't know why because he won't tell me, but it scares him okay?"

"Okay," Clint said with a sigh and shake of his head. "I'll try to remember not to raise my voice again. But that doesn't mean you can be disobedient."

"He doesn't like the dark either," Tony responded. He looked up and over at Clint. "When the lights go out he starts to freak out like he's having a nightmare."

"He does?" Clint was genuinely surprised.

"Yeah," Tony said with a nod. "He goes to sleep at the same time every night," he said it like he didn't understand it, but Clint could hazard a guess that at home – or at least in the past – he didn't have a choice. "But then a little bit after the lights go out he starts to toss and turn and stuff until he wakes up."

"And you know this how?" Clint raised an eyebrow.

Tony looked down guiltily and shrugged. "I'm not tired," he mumbled.

Clint sighed. "Alright. I won't turn the lights out," he decided. He figured they had all been adults just a short time ago and this was all pretty weird so letting them sleep with the lights on, or in Stark's case letting him stay up, wasn't really a big deal. "And you can go ahead and read until you fall asleep," he added with a shrug. "But stay in this room. Got it?"

Tony nodded eagerly and looked at Bruce with a bright smile. Clint snorted. Of course he'd stay in the room, he realized after the fact. As long as Bruce was there he'd be there.

*

Natasha narrowed her eyes at the suspicious behavior of Tony and Bruce as they sat together on a single beanbag reading a book together. Every now and then Tony would whisper something in Bruce's ear and the other would giggle. Natasha wasn't sure if they should be concerned, but if a seven-year-old Tony was involved the odds were in favor of it. There was just something too conspiratorial about it all.

So she walked over to where they sat and crouched down in front of them. "What's going on over here?"

"Nothing," Tony chirped.

Natasha hummed. "Nothing, huh?" She looked at Bruce. "Is that so?"

"Um," Bruce practically squirmed, "um…"

"You can't tell," Tony muttered.

"I wasn't going to," Bruce replied with a small scowl at Tony, not unlike how he often looked at the billionaire as an adult, and Natasha couldn't stop from giving a laugh that forced the two boys to look at her curiously.

She sat back on the floor in front of them and shook her head. "Are you two up to no good then?"

"No," Tony answered. "It's just a secret so we can't tell you."

"Tony, it's your turn to go get washed up," Pepper called across the room. Tony groaned and looked at Natasha and then Bruce.

"It's okay," Bruce said. "I'll use a bookmark and we can finish later."

Tony huffed. "Do I have to?" He looked at Natasha again.

"I don't think Bruce will appreciate sitting so close to you if you don't," Natasha teased. "Isn't that right, Bruce?"

Bruce snickered and looked at Tony with a nod. "Yeah, you got to get clean or you'll stink."

"Nuh-uh," Tony disagreed.

"Yeah-huh," Bruce countered.

"Maybe I like being dirty!" Tony declared and Natasha stifled an amused snort and eye roll, trying not to imagine how that declaration was also perfectly suited to his adult self. "Maybe I want to go play in the mud or something. And then I'll give everyone a big hug," he said impishly and looked at Bruce. "Starting with Bruce." He draped himself around the other boy in playful dramatics as Bruce squirmed and giggled.

"No you won't!" Bruce said between his peals of laughter, pushing Tony back.

"Come on, Tony," Pepper was suddenly there, interrupting the boys' fun. She held out an expectant hand and shot Natasha a sardonic look that said, _thanks for the help_. "It's time to get cleaned up."

Tony sighed and got up, taking her hand to be led away like a prisoner to a guillotine. Natasha waited until he was gone before looking back at Bruce, the other boy diligently bookmarking the page as promised.

"So, you and Tony sure seem to be good pals," she said.

Bruce stopped and looked up at her with wide eyes, like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Then he gave a shrug and looked back down. "He's really nice." After a second he tilted his head as if reconsidering. "Well, most of the time."

Natasha snorted. "He's pretty nice to you anyway," she said knowingly and Bruce nodded. Then he gave a very sheepish smile, his cheeks turning red. "Everything okay?" she asked with a slight lilt.

He glanced up at her through his lashes. "Tony kissed me," he said in a very small voice.

Natasha's eyes widened. _Of course the little scamp did_ , was her immediate thought. "Is that your secret?" He nodded as if guilty and looked back down at the book. She wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. If they were technically children at the moment then what they did or didn't do as their adult selves was currently void, right? She suddenly wished somebody else was around to handle this. Finally, she said, "Bruce, you know it doesn't have to be a secret if you don't want it to be. If you don't like that Tony kissed you, you can tell me."

"I did like it," Bruce squeaked out in surprise as he looked up at her. Then his cheeks turned red again when he realized what he said. "I just wanted to tell you since you're nice and I know you won't tell anyone," he said sweetly. Natasha smiled in spite of herself. This was precisely why love was for children. "You won't tell, right?" he then asked, suddenly doubtful. "I-I don't think my dad would… like it if he knew I, um, kissed." The 'a boy' was unspoken, but Natasha understood.

"I promise I won't tell." He nodded, swallowing hard as he did. Then, before she could realize what was happening, he started to snivel. "Bruce, what's wrong?" she asked tentatively. His chest started to heave up and down more readily with quiet sobs. Natasha sighed and gave into the inevitable. "Come here," she said and wasn't sure if she was surprised or not when Bruce immediately threw himself into her lap, crying into her shoulder. Then again, they'd come to the conclusion that he seemed to trust her and Pepper more readily than the men. "Hey, Bruce. You're fine. It's okay. Do you want to tell me why you're crying?"

"Tony… Tony is my best friend," Bruce said between his tears.

"That's a good thing isn't it?" she asked, more than a little bewildered by his outburst and reasoning. Of course, she supposed she wasn't overly familiar with the thinking processes of children.

"Y-yeah," he said. "B-but… I'm gonna go home a-and, he'll forget me." He sobbed harder and Natasha began to understand. To him this was real and only temporary. He still had a horrible home to go back to, which she knew would then be filled with years of heartache after the fact if this was real, and in doing so there would be no more Tony. That must certainly be a despairing truth to carry around. "He'll forget me," he repeated.

"I promise you he won't," Natasha replied. "He couldn't. He—" She stopped abruptly and bit her lips in consideration. She decided to go with it. "He absolutely loves you," she told him. He sniveled and looked up at her with his wet, round eyes. "Honest. He thinks you're the most amazing little boy he's ever met so there's no way he'll forget you."

Bruce choked on a few more sobs and said, "I don't want to go home. I… I don't want to leave Tony."

"I know," Natasha said simply.

"He… He said we would be friends forever and-and he said when we grow up he wants to marry me." Natasha closed her eyes and tried not to shake her head because _of course he did_. Bruce sniveled and in a quieter voice said, "I think I want that too because he's my best friend. But what…" He started to become emotional again, chest heaving up and down. "But what if… if that don't happen?"

Natasha mumbled in Russian and then started trying to soothe the temperamental little boy again. She hoped that if they were able to get this all sorted out that when Bruce was an adult again he didn't remember any of this because she was certain that Dr. Banner wouldn't be able to look her in the eyes for months at least. Another Hulk incident on the Helicarrier would probably be preferable.

She sighed and said, "You never know, Bruce. You never know."

"Hey, Bruce! I'm back!" Suddenly, Tony burst back into the room, barely dry if the way his shirt clung to him or his hair dripped was any indication. It was doubtful he did anything more than a minimum wash off, but Natasha couldn't deny his presence would probably help alleviate the current situation. He stopped abruptly when he took notice and looked at Natasha with sharp suspicion. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Natasha said and helped Bruce sit up. "Isn't that right."

He sniveled and gave a weak nod. "Yeah, I was just…" He frowned. "You don't think I'm a baby do you?"

"For what? Crying?" Bruce nodded again. "Everybody cries sometimes," Tony said with a shrug. Then he closed one eye and looked up. "Well, maybe not my dad. But Jarvis says there's nothing wrong with it and he's right about everything. Except anything Aunt Peggy says he's not right about. But she agrees with him. So I think—it's fine," he said, losing his breath a little toward the end of his ramble. "But why were you crying? You okay? I don't want you to be sad. Are you hurt?"

Bruce started to laugh, as he often did when Tony became a relentless chatterbox and Natasha had a feeling everything would be alright no matter how things turned out.

*

"You're really big," Tony said. Thor looked at him where he sat in the seat across the aisle from him on the small bus. He was looking up at him with a curious expression. "And you're wearing a cape. Are you a superhero?"  

"Superheroes aren't real, Tony," little Bruce said from where he sat beside Tony, closer to the window.  

"I guess that's true," Tony agreed with him. "But where are we going again?" 

Thor chuckled. "We're going on a magical field trip." 

"I don't believe in magic," Tony said, crossing his arms. "Only science." 

"Me too," Bruce said and Tony let his arms fall and looked at the other boy like he'd just said the most poetic words that could be said.  

Thor smiled at their innocence. "Well, this field trip does involve science," he offered then. "But it will be magical." 

"Well," Bruce said shyly, "I guess science can be magical." 

"Oh, like science fiction!" Tony suddenly cheered. 

"Science fiction is precursor to science fact," Thor said, proud to contribute something of meaning. Little Tony and little Bruce looked at each other and then blinked up at him. "Or at least that is what my girlfriend Jane is always saying." 

"Is she a scientist?" Tony asked. 

"Yes," Thor said with a big smile. "She is a brilliant scientist. And you will meet her at this place we're going." 

"Really?" Bruce asked, eyes wide and hopeful. 

"Yes," he told them again. "And she'll be very happy to meet two very smart boys like you." 

"Are..." Bruce frowned. "Are we going home after this?" Thor's eyes widened and so did Tony's. Tony looked panicked. 

"Why do you ask?" Thor decided not to answer.

"Well," Bruce looked down at his little hands, wringing them much like he sometimes did as an adult, "you brought us to the camp on a bus and now we're leaving on a bus so it kind of feels like a deliberate pattern." He shrugged. "Also I have a icky feeling in my stomach like you want us to go home now." 

Thor frowned. "Well, I don't know if you'll be going home after this," Thor said honestly. He wasn't sure their planned attempt at reversing the effects on them would work. "But as I cannot lie to you," he said in a solemn tone, "you _may_ be."

"Okay," Bruce said, sounding sad and resigned. He tucked himself deep into the corner of the seat against the window, like he was trying to make himself small. Tony looked at him and then down at his shoes where he'd been kicking his dangling feet back and forth. His face said all the things this little version of Tony didn't know how to articulate. 

Thor sighed, wishing he could reassure his young friends in some way. All he knew to say was, "You may find it is not so bad as you fear it will be."

*

"Cut the machine!" Selvig shouted as the lights in the room below them flickered and Jane did. The lights powered down completely for a few seconds, but Phil strained to see the results of their efforts through the observation window just the same. Then the lights came back up and his heart actually skipped. "How's it look?" Selvig asked, coming over to stand beside him. "Well, I'll be damned."

"It looks promising," Phil said with a relieved smile before quickly exiting the room. He made his way down the stairs and into the testing room for an up close analysis of the situation. He stopped short when he saw Dr. Banner hunched over on the ground, clearly fighting off an incident. Well, he was Hulk again, so there was that confirmation. 

Tony waved him and the other agents, all looking around with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Hey, Bruce. Bruce, it's Tony. Bruce, are you-"

"NO PUNY BANNER!" Bruce growled, Hulk already having taken over most of his consciousness, which meant they were looking at an inevitable code green unless a miracle happened. 

"Right, right, of course," Tony said without batting an eye and remained crouched beside him even as Bruce's muscles bulked all the more, ripping his shirt. "Hulk, are you trying to protect puny Banner right now?" Is he okay? Is he hurt?" Tony looked genuinely concerned and Phil saw him make a quick, surface assessment of Bruce's physical well-being. Then, because Tony cared more about Bruce than potential collateral property damage, he said, "If you need to come out for a bit, I'm right here. You're safe to come out and let off some steam until Bruce is okay. If not, maybe you can let Bruce come back so I can talk to him," Tony continued to coax him. "Your call."

Bruce looked up and met Tony's neutral gaze. "Tony safe?"

"Yeah, yeah, Big Guy. I'm safe," Tony answered with a megawatt smile. He looked around then. "A little confused," he looked back, "but safe. No need to protect me."

Bruce, or Hulk, whichever Phil mused flippantly, pounded his fist hard against the floor, breaking the tile like it was made of sand. Then he looked at Tony again before all of the tension in his body drained out and he shrunk, collapsing onto the ground. Tony moved from a crouch to his knees, bending over him to check on him more closely. 

"Tony?" Bruce came back to consciousness.

"Hey, there he is," Tony chirped as he carefully helped him stand back up. 

Once on their feet, Phil moved forward to assess things, but stopped when after a prolonged look suddenly the two men surged towards each other in a passionate embrace. Phil furrowed his brow. That was a little unexpected for two men who seemed disoriented a few minutes ago. When it became clear this wasn't going to be one of their shorter kisses, Phil glanced around the room and his eyes widened when he realized by the varying sheepish expressions on the other agents' and scientists' faces what was going on. So much for them not remembering what had happened to them. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s psychiatrists were going to have their hands full with this one. He glanced back when the two men finally broke apart.

"I believe," Tony kissed Bruce again and Phil rolled his eyes and held back an exasperated sigh, "that I have a promise to keep." 

Bruce smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that." They kissed again, and then walked right past Phil, hand in hand, toward the door. 

"Wait, where are you two going?"

"Hmm?" Tony hummed as if he'd been in his own world, which Phil believed he probably had been, and they turned to look at him. "Oh," he smiled, "to find a justice of the peace somewhere. Tell the others not to wait up."

"Oh and also on a very long honeymoon," Bruce added. "At least until I'm able to look any of them in the eyes again."

Tony winced. "Agreed. Well, wish us luck everyone." Tony gave a haphazard salute and the two men turned and left. 

" _Mazel tov_ ," Phil replied dryly before hanging his head and shaking it.

As soon as he got back home he was definitely looking for a new job. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written a de-aged fic in what feels like at least a decade and I'm suddenly remembering why tbh.


	42. Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so who's in the mood for me trying and failing miserably at writing angst? so um tw for some angst (and a dash of fluff).

Tony groaned in frustration as he tried to get Bruce's fever down with the supplies from the SHIELD safe house he'd managed to get them to. He still couldn't believe Bruce had been foolish enough to wander into a trap in his desperate search for a cure. This was the last time he let Bruce out of his sight; next time he needed some time to be nomadic away from the team, Tony was _fucking. going. with. him_.

More than Bruce's naivete, Tony was surprised that whoever did this to him had managed to come up with something actually able to make Bruce this sick. It was terrifying to have Tony's fears that Bruce wasn't as indestructible as they all claimed him to be confirmed like this, while he was alone to watch him slip in and out of unconsciousness.

"JARVIS, have you connected to this system yet?" He'd immediately attached JARVIS to upload and take over the SHIELD system installed in the safe house.

"Yes, sir," the AI answered and Tony sighed to have one small relief.

"Where's the team?"

"Still en route. They were delayed by an attack by The Leader."

"Damn it!" Tony looked down at Bruce where he started on the couch.

"Tony?" Bruce mumbled, eyes fluttering open and closed.

"Hey, hey, I'm here," Tony responded and pressed a damp rag gently around his eyes. "You're going to be okay."

"I'm finally..." His voice trailed for a brief moment. "Finally going to die." Tony stopped abruptly, heart freezing in his chest. "H-he... figured it out."

"No," Tony gasped the word. He pressed more manically with the cloth. "No he hasn't. You're not dying."

"I-I am." He nodded weakly. "M-maybe it's a good thing. This is what..." He didn't finish, but it wasn't hard for Tony to guess he was going to say this was what he'd always wanted.

He wanted to die. He wanted to leave him. Something in Tony broke.

"It's not a good thing, Bruce! It's... It's the worst thing in the world." Bruce made an effort to look at him. "This isn't what _I_ want," Tony said, voice cracking. "And I'm selfish, Bruce. I need you. I... I love you."

The words hung in the air. Words he hadn't let himself say before no matter how long he knew he'd felt them. He'd been afraid before, of being wrong or of scaring Bruce away or maybe of just being vulnerable. His fear of losing Bruce was stronger than any of that.

Bruce didn't respond and Tony's panic started to grow. His eyes were open, but he wasn't looking at him, rather past him it seemed. Then Bruce's eyes widened and his lips formed a voiceless word that Tony could read and made his hair stand on end.

"No, no, no," Tony cried, shaking his head. He quickly pulled the wash cloth back and moved it to the bucket beside him to soak up more water. "JARVIS, tell the team to break the sound barrier or something. Bruce is becoming delusional and he needs medical care immediately. Stay with me, Bruce. We're going to get this fever down. We're—"

"Mom," Bruce verbalized the word this time and Tony's own voice died in his throat as he looked back at Bruce's face. His eyes were glazed over and his lip was quivering in time with the way his body already trembled. "Mom, I've missed you," he mumbled, voice strained.

"Bruce, please, Bruce," Tony pleaded. Was this more than just a fever? Was the chemical agent used on him causing hypoxia?

Bruce closed his eyes and said, voice barely a whisper now, "He's scared, mom. He's scared."

Tony dropped the wash cloth from his hand and fell forward, his forehead meeting with Bruce's searing one. "Yes, I'm scared. Of course I am." Tears stung his eyes and he almost wished he could believe Rebecca Banner was really there. "I'm scared, Rebecca," he said anyway, maybe because he was lost and didn't know what else to do. "I love him and I'm scared I'm going to lose him. I love your son. He's the best thing to happen to me and… and I want to make him happy. Maybe I can't. Maybe..." He paused, heart constricting. "Maybe that means I should let him go, but… But I don't want to. I can't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Rebecca, but not yet. _Please_ , not yet. Don't take him away from me." Tony's emotion overwhelmed him and he started to cry into Bruce's damp hair as he placed a kiss there.

"I'm sorry," Bruce whispered and Tony cried harder.

*

Bruce's eyes widened as the room behind Tony grew impossibly bright for a brief moment. Then it faded and Bruce couldn't believe his eyes. Standing there, as beautiful and wonderful and vibrant as the day he'd lost her, was his mother. He couldn't even make a noise as the word got caught in his throat.

"No, no, no," Tony cried above him, but it was hard for Bruce to focus on him when his mother was right there. He could barely make out what Tony was saying. He was too overwhelmed by the feeling of his mother's love surrounding him, filling up all of the empty and broken spaces in him.

"Mom," Bruce found his voice and she smiled and it was like he could hear her voice as clear as song like it was when he was a little boy, saying his name, even if she didn't speak. "Mom, I've missed you."

She smiled again and Bruce felt his body start to tire with the fight to survive, longing to give into this wonderful peace forever. He could go with her. She didn't stay as much, but he just somehow knew she was offering him that choice. An easy one-

"Bruce, please, Bruce," Tony's pleas broke through his urge to leave. Tony was the only one who could and suddenly the choice wasn't easy anymore.

Bruce closed his eyes, heart aching, as he said, "He's scared, mom. He's scared." _I'm scared too._ He didn't say it out loud, but something told him his mother's still heard him _._

Suddenly Tony's forehead lay against his. "Yes, I'm scared. Of course I am," Tony said. "I'm scared, Rebecca." Bruce opened his eyes again, not expecting that. He looked at his mother to see the gentle expression on her face. Bruce wished so much that they could have properly met. "I love him and I'm scared I'm going to lose him. I love your son. He's the best thing to happen to me and… and I want to make him happy. Maybe I can't. Maybe..." _You do make me happy_. Bruce needed to find the strength to say it out loud. Tony needed to know. "Maybe that means I should let him go, but… But I don't want to. I can't. I'm not strong enough. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Rebecca, but not yet. _Please_ , not yet. Don't take him away from me."

Tony started to cry and Bruce felt him kiss his head. Bruce met his mother's eyes and heard all the words she didn't say and felt all of the peace and happiness she wanted him to feel, even if it meant he wouldn't find it yet with her, but instead in the man he was desperately in love with and not ready to leave. Maybe he was making a horrible mistake, but with a parting smile, wan and watery, he made his choice.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her and stopped fighting. His body slipped into unconsciousness and for the first time in years, Bruce wasn't afraid of what he might wake up to.

*

Bruce stirred from his sleep at the feeling of a light, incessant tapping on his cheek. The tapping became more insistent until there was a violent, if not very effective, slap followed by a chuckle and an, "Oh-oh. We're trying to _wake_ daddy, not hurt him."

He opened his eyes and focused them on the beautiful, brown eyes level with his where the sixteen-month-old toddled next to the couch. She bounced up and down and squealed, pleased that her slap had worked no doubt. He smiled and pushed up to a sitting position. She immediately started trying to climb up onto the couch too, but Bruce decided he couldn't wait and picked her up into his lap. 

"Did daddy miss anything while he was napping?" he asked her.

"More like daddy was missed while he was napping," came Tony's answer from above him. Bruce leaned his head back on the couch and met his warm gaze. Tony leaned down and kissed him on his forehead, then craned his neck a little more to give Bruce a quick peck on the lips. "But I hope you had a good rest," he said as he pulled back.

Bruce gave a content sigh in answer and basked in the heavenly peace of the moment. He was still happy with his choice. Kissing his daughter softly, while she babbled about her playtime while he'd been asleep, something told him his mother was happy with it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost left it with Bruce just going unconscious and leaving it up in the air whether or not he actually lives regardless of his choice to not give up yet, but then I was crying really hard and I really didn't need to trigger myself *facepalm* so since I literally can't handle anything at all...I had to go and make it happy in the end. Sorry for those who love pain and angst and would have preferred the ambiguous ending; I am weak.


	43. Completion

Natasha studied Dr. Banner from a safe distance as they made their way to the Helicarrier on the QuinJet. Of course, the doctor had moved to the furthest possible corner of his own accord so that helped. He was looking over the full of Dr. Selvig's notes on the Tesseract while they traveled.

Natasha had had a small scare, and it took a lot to do the trick, when she'd picked him up in Kolkata. For a moment she'd thought he would unleash the Hulk on her. She didn't care much about that at the moment though, having shoved it back down into a nice, little compartment with the rest of her buried fears, and it wasn't just because her job demanded she keep a scrutinizing eye on people at all times.

The reason she studied him was because of something of interest she'd seen on his person. More specifically, on his right palm. 

The gamma expert seemed to use it in a very meticulous way, and very closed. He only barely opened his hand. He seemed to use his left when he could even though it wasn't his dominant one. If Natasha's fleeting glance of his palm had been sufficient and her eyes as good as her partner's, then she had a pretty fair idea what it was he was trying to hide.  

Soul marks. Some people had them, some people didn’t. Natasha had seen strange markings on Banner's palm in that tiny home in Kolkata. She wondered if she'd caught a glimpse of his and now wondered if she could catch another. It wasn't that she was interested personally speaking, she didn't have a soul mark anymore, but she _was_ curious. Curious and unsettled. Unsettled because— 

"It's really kind of hilarious when you think about it," Banner broke through her thoughts and her pensive gaze refocused to see him looking at her with a thin, so thin it was barely noticeable, smile. The rest of his features told her it was meant to be a rueful thing. He slowly opened his palm in front of him and looked at it. Natasha tried not to take advantage of his lowered guard by craning her neck and shifting her eyes to get the look at his hand she wanted, but it was easier said than done.

"Is it?" she asked, just to keep the conversation going. 

He snorted, a bitter sound that Natasha was no stranger to. "Sure. All those people who think it's some sort of intelligent design and not just the next step in evolution? Unless the person's an asshole, it seems kind of cruel of fate or whoever to saddle someone with the likes of me, don't you think?" Natasha didn't like the challenging look in his eyes and decided to refrain from giving an answer. He looked away when she didn't, sighing and shaking his head. "Then again, it's pretty specific." He held it up a little higher before looking her directly in the eye and turning the hand so she could see it. "Know what it is?"

Faced head on with the soul mark, Natasha's eyes widened. She looked from it to him and then back again. She swallowed hard as her mind spiraled away from the present conversation and back in time to another one. 

_"Seems like a pretty inconvenient place for a soul mark."_

_"It is. My parents, well, my dad, he made me cover it up for years. To keep people from trying to exploit it or something. I don't know. I only got out of the habit after Afghanistan. Seemed sort of pointless."_

_"What is it, anyway? I see the equal sign. Is it math?"_

_"Half of a gamma decay equation."_

"Natasha? Natasha? Are you okay?"

"Half of a gamma decay equation," Natasha mumbled and blinked. 

"What?" She blinked a few more times and refocused her eyes on Dr. Banner to see him looking at her with a stunned expression. "Y-yeah... That's... That's what it is." He blinked several times and then furrowed his brow. He glanced away, licked his lips as if in consideration, and then looked back. "Are you a scientist too?"

"No." His eyes widened. "But I'm pretty sure I've seen the other half of that mark, Doc." His widened eyes turned panicked. "If it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure Tony Stark has been called an asshole on numerous occasions."

While Dr. Banner looked like he might be contemplating hurling himself from the jet, Natasha made a mental note to tell Fury they had another catastrophe on their hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lazy entry with no resolution is lazy. but don't worry, Bruce doesn't throw himself from the jet.
> 
> Also, I just realized the next story I publish will be my 100th here on AO3 so I thought I'd try to make it special by asking for some feedback on what everyone would like to see. My friend Elle wants me to publish the first chapter of a birthdayfic (with mpreg Bruce and drama so mileage may vary lmao). I've got a final entry for the Bear series started. I've got a girl power entry for Lucky Thirteen verse started as well as a few other oneshots for the series, I've got three different entries for the Mutants & Monsters series started, I started on that Robot AU, I've got a Restaurant AU where Steve is older for a change and twenty-something!Tony's kind of stepdad (not really, but it's complicated) and of course Bruce Banner Cooks is a thing, I've got a 5+1 thing with Ross trying to capture Bruce, I've got a one shot Pizza Delivery, I've got the first chapter of the Star AU from chapter 34 of this work among things I'm considering. AND I'm open to ideas or prompts (with the caveat it's not guaranteed, obviously). (AND I promise I will not stop updating other unfinished works regardless! Lol.)


	44. Sky

"You fell out of the sky."

_"He was waiting for you."_

_"His last words were, 'Make sure somebody looks out for Doctor Banner. He's something special.'"_

Bruce startles, shifting quickly until his eyes focus on the man standing at the top of the pile of rubble he's awoken in.

A security guard.

Bruce furrows his brow and then looks around. "Did I hurt anybody?" he asks on autopilot, knowing that he must have just had an incident, but he feels more disoriented than usual.

"There's nobody around here to get hurt," the man answers. "You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though."

Bruce nods and rubs at his eyes. "Lucky," he mumbles, but for some reason he doesn't feel like that's the truth.

"Or just good aim," the guard counters. "You were awake when you fell."

Bruce startles again and looks at the man. "You saw?" he asks tentatively.

"The whole thing. Right through the ceiling. Big and green..."

_And buck-ass nude._

"…and buck-ass nude." Bruce blinks. How did he know that he was going to say that? "Here," his thoughts are interrupted by a pair of pants thrown in his direction, "I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella."

"Thank you," Bruce says, accepting the article of clothing and pushing aside his disconcerted feelings to make himself more decent.

"Are you an alien?"

Bruce glances at him. "What?"

"From outer space, an alien?"

"No," Bruce answers. He almost wishes he were now that he knows they exist.

They exist.

Right.

The Avengers.

Loki is trying to lead an army against Earth, the Tesseract is still missing, and the Other Guy had gone and made things harder on them.

"Well, then, son, you've got a condition."

Bruce looks up at the man long and hard for a moment before a rueful smile touches his face. "Yeah, I do."

Which is why he can't be anywhere near here, or The Avengers.

They don't need him.

*

Bruce startles at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. He whips around, a word of warning to whoever it is foolish enough to sneak up on a guy like him, but it vanishes when he sees Natasha flinch back a few feet - even if her worried expression doesn't seem to indicate that the worry is for herself.

"You can't keep doing this," she says, the worry coming through in her voice.

Bruce sighs and runs a hand down his face. He frowns and scrubs at his cheeks curiously. He should probably take a break to shave at least. He shakes his head and drops his hand.

"I have to, Tasha," he replies with a shrug and turns back to his work. "I'm close—"

"You're not," she counters. "You're not close, Bruce. You've been at this for weeks." He furrows his brow. Has it really been weeks? It feels like only hours, even if he's exhausted like it's been months. "You can't bring him back. Nobody can. We all miss him—"

"Do you?" He whips around again, growling the words. She doesn't flinch this time, just looks at him wearily. He hangs his head. "Sorry. That's not fair. I just... There has to be a way, Tasha. The world needs him."

"Or maybe," she says slowly, "what you really mean is you think _you_ need him." He glances up at her with wide eyes. "I know he has... had a way of getting under a person's skin, and he was one of a kind, but... Whatever it is about him that you think you need, it probably isn't worth all of this. Even if you could bring him back, Tony wasn't easy to get close to."

"Neither am I," is all that he can say to that. She purses her lips, as if considering a response, before turning to leave him again. "Is Barton?" he adds and she stops in her tracks. "Is he easy to get close to? Did that stop you from doing whatever you had to, to get him back? And what about _you_?" he presses. "Wouldn't he do the same?"

Natasha glances over her shoulder before looking straight ahead again. "Whatever it is you think you can do, you're running out of time. People are getting antsy, doc. SHIELD is monitoring you and they're concerned by your erratic behavior. Fury won't be able to risk ignoring it for much longer."

Before he can respond she leaves him.

Alone.

"Sir," JARVIS suddenly reminds him that he's not so alone after all, thanks to Tony, "I do believe it's time for you to consider Agent Romanoff's warning. As greatly as I would like to see you succeed and will continue to aid you in any manner I am able at your request," he continues, articulate proof of Tony's genius, "it would be advisable that you not provoke SHIELD. Need I remind you Mister Stark was terribly concerned regarding your safety?" Bruce sighs. Tony had transferred the AI's master protocols over to him he'd been so concerned. How could he ever forget? "His last words were, 'Make sure somebody looks out for Doctor Banner. He's something special.'"

Bruce's vision tunnels and he looks back at the machine. A shiver of realization runs down his spine. "JARVIS, be honest with me. How many times?"

"I do not think that would be advisable either—"

"I know that you know, JARVIS," Bruce says, looking at the nearest sensor.

"Yes, Doctor Banner, I do. All attempts have been stored in my hard drive as any temporal anomalies have no effect on me unless they predate my current protocols."

Bruce licks his cracking lips and scrubs his bearded face again. "How many times, JARVIS?"

There's a long pause before JARVIS complies. "You have attempted to prevent Mister Stark's death, thus far, a total of eight times." Bruce mutters a curse under his breath. "The only variance in the outcome is how long it takes you to begin trying to bring him back." Bruce furrows his brow. "And that seems to directly correlate to how long it takes for someone to make Mister Stark's last words known to you." His eyes widen and he hurries back over to the machine, the appropriate tweaks to make it work coming to him. "We have also had a similar conversation as this one, now nine times. I worry, sir, that you will be doomed to repeat your failure until you are no longer able to do so, by SHIELD's interference or your own ill-health."

"Is this the first time you've told me this?" Bruce asks, just to be sure.

"To this degree, yes, sir. We spoke of your failed first attempt, but I have hesitated in interfering any further as I have no set protocols for this type of situation and it was clear you had no memory of any of your attempts."

"Good," Bruce says and considers how to deal with the memory lapses. "That's a reassuring variance. Now I know going back to that day like I planned isn't going to do me any good. JARVIS, what are Stark Tower's coordinates?"

"Sir?" Bruce just glances at one of the sensors and waits. "Latitude 45°66′12″N. Longitude 76°87′32″W."

Bruce's fingers hover over the keyboard as the numbers echo through his mind. "Thank you," he finally says and types them in. He hits enter, starting the machine, and then moves over to a workbench in search of paper and a pen.

"Sir? May I ask what you intend to accomplish by returning to Stark Tower a week ahead of the Battle of Manhattan?"

"Afraid I can't tell you that," Bruce answers. He folds the note up and puts it in his pocket before hurrying back over to the machine. "I don't want to take more chances than I need to."

"Very well, Doctor Banner."

*

_"He was waiting for you."_

"Who are you?"

"What?" Bruce blinks open his eyes and is greeted by an unfamiliar, though strangely familiar, ceiling.

"Better question, how did you get here?"

Bruce jerks upwards at the sound of the unexpectedly familiar voice.

_"Tony Stark was a national hero."_

_"Doctor Banner, it was Mister Stark's wish that you have control of my master protocols in the incident of his death."_

"Tony?" Bruce blinks widely at the man sat across from him. He then looks around. He's in Stark Tower.

"That's right. You probably weren't expecting the infamous Tony Stark to find you when you crash landed in 2012," Tony says, eyes narrowed in study. "Since I'm assuming whatever time you're from knows about Tony Stark. Or Iron Man." He tilts his head and glances away. "Unless you're from the past," he considers. "But you know my name so you must know of me somehow."

Past.

The word echoes in his mind and suddenly he remembers a note. He searches his pockets and finds it. It's a note to himself telling him that he's in the past to try and prevent the death of Tony Stark.

" _You can't bring him back._ "

Bruce looks up again at said man, flashes of memories from the past… or future… flooding his mind.

"Look, okay," Tony starts again when all Bruce can do is stare dumbly at him, torn between sheer joy at seeing him again and fear of messing up the time stream irrevocably by interacting with him. "I get you're probably not going to spill the beans since you think you'll do irreparable damage to the time stream or whatever," Tony guesses, genius that he is, "but I already know you're from a different time, so that might already be a moot point."

"How… How do you know?" Bruce ventures.

"I have an artificial intelligence," he explains. "JARVIS, introduce yourself."

"Hello, sir," JARVIS says. "Welcome to Stark Tower."

"Anyway, he alerted me to some temporal anomalies surrounding the tower." Bruce's eyes widen. "I wasn't even aware he could do that, but obviously it warranted investigation. My security cameras captured the moment you appeared outside my tower. Not very convenient if you reach your destination unconscious," he tacks on.

"Still working out the kinks," Bruce says to that with a sigh. "Not that I can elaborate, but yes, I'm from the future."

"How far in the future?" Bruce shakes his head. Tony huffs, clearly not enjoying being denied knowledge, and Bruce can't stop a fond smile as he's reminded of their brief time working together on board the Helicarrier. "Okay, can you at least tell me a little about time travel? How does it work? Is it easily accessible? Who invents it? Is it me? Just give me a hint."

Bruce chuckles in spite of himself. "Well, honestly, are we certain multiple people haven't figured out time travel various times over the centuries?"

Tony's mouth opens then closes a few times in succession before it's replaced with a stumped expression.

Bruce shrugs. "In this case, I got here on my own efforts. I have no clue if others have already figured it out and I'm unaware or if, if, well, if this means I invent it," he admits.

He'd like to think he doesn't, of course, if only because he wants to stop the event that leads to his apparent breakthrough in time travel.

"So you're a genius."

Bruce decides his knowing that can't hurt anything so he says, "More or less, technically. I don't really think of it that way though."

Tony quirks an eyebrow as if what he's just said makes absolutely no sense. Because of course he does. Bruce shakes his head.

"Look, I need to go," Bruce continues after a small, quiet moment of Tony studying him. It hurts too much the way it reminds him of how he'd looked at him on the Helicarrier. "Like you said, I can't tell you much of anything, but what I need to do is extremely important. And I don't have a lot of time to spare—"

"I can help you," Tony offers.

"You can't."

"I'm a genius too, with tons of resources at my disposal. I doubt that."

Bruce huffs and stands to his feet. "That's not— You don't…" He groans. "I can't risk anything at all interfering with the time stream. A man's life is at stake, okay?" He turns to look at Tony and sees his eyes wide and calculating.

"Oh." Tony furrows his brow. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Bruce blinks. "It's…"

"You don't have to explain." Tony holds up a hand. "You wouldn't possibly invent time travel for just any man. He must be special to you."

Bruce swallows hard and looks away. "He was. Is. But—"

"Sir," JARVIS interrupts, "Ms. Potts has just received the angry voicemail you left her this morning and says she will be moving into one of the guest quarters indefinitely when she returns."

Bruce glances at Tony and then ducks his head. He needs to save Tony for Pepper, he reminds himself. This isn't about what he wants. Tony was special to Pepper.

Tony groans. "Sorry about that," he says. "My, uh, girlfriend and I have an interesting relationship. Probably mostly my doing." He sighs. "Guess I mean my ex-girlfriend. For however long it lasts this time. If she were smart, well... Never mind." He shakes his head. "Would you like a drink before you go?"

"No, not really. I need—" Bruce stops when he sees the way Tony looks like he's genuinely asking for company. He sighs and hitches a shoulder. "I don't really drink," he hedges, "but maybe I could use some help with my mission after all."

*

"You need to eat," Tony interrupts his intense focus on a line of code. His eyes burn when he blinks up at him. "You've been at this for hours. Why don't you pass the baton to me for a bit, hmm?"

"Can't," Bruce says, but takes the sandwich Tony offers him. "You'll learn too much about the future if I let you see what I'm working on," he fibs.

It's not entirely untrue. 

The code is meant to hack Stark Industries servers and create a minor catastrophe at his Los Angeles Headquarters followed by subsequent catastrophes at every other SI plant outside of New York, including the one in Japan. With any luck, Tony will be too busy tackling that for him to play Iron Man. But Bruce will also be wiping Tony's file from SHIELD's database too if he can as an extra precaution. 

He knows it's all a longshot, but the further Tony is away from the thick of things when Fury calls them in the better. And he's got other tricks up his sleeve. He's going to plant as many boobytraps as possible.

Tony sighs. "This is ridiculous. I finally meet someone who's genuinely interesting that I _want_ to talk to and I can't without risking the destruction of history as we know it, or as you know it I guess. I don't even know your name." He pauses for only half a second before exclaiming, "Hey, how about this? Take me to the future with you." Bruce's hands still. "If people are more intelligent there, I'm more than willing to risk the consequences."

"I almost wish I could," Bruce says with his own sigh. That would solve his problem in a way. His lips then quirk in spite of himself as he muses about how Tony assumes he's from further in the future than he really is.

*

It takes four days before Bruce decides that he's done all he possibly can. He just has to go back now and see if things have changed.

It probably would have been less than that amount of time, but Tony is a bittersweet distraction.

That's probably why he decides to do what he does best – steal away in the dead of night before Tony can make things more difficult on him.

Because Bruce would stay if only he could. He would stay and distort the time stream and make good and certain Tony doesn't do what he's soon going to do.

"I've been thinking about this a lot."

Bruce startles when Tony finds him in the lab he's loaned him, in the process of starting up a new time machine, in spite of his attempt to avoid saying goodbye. Somehow, he should have known it wouldn't be that easy with a man like him.

"Yeah, and don't think I'm happy about you trying to run out on me. That's usually my gig," Tony adds, guessing the reason for Bruce's deer-in-headlights expression. "But I've been thinking. I'm not sure you should do this."

"Tony, I can't stay," Bruce says. He tries to cross the room, but stops when Tony doesn't make any move to let him pass. He huffs. "I can't. I... want to," he admits. "There's no sense in denying that. The future, it's not a happy place for me." Tony gives him a sympathetic look. "But we both know that's not the way it can work. I can't be here."

"I got that, but I've been thinking maybe you shouldn't try to prevent this man's death." Bruce's eyes narrow at the unexpected turn of the discussion. It may just make things worse," Tony urges him.

"No," Bruce counters with a jerk of his head. "It can't get worse than..." _Not having him._

Not that he'd even had him.

But the world needs him at least.

The world, the Avengers, Pepper Potts no matter how unstable their relationship might be, JARVIS, everybody.

"I get it seems that way," Tony barrels on, "but what happens if he was supposed to be exactly where he was at exactly at that time and he's not there?"

Bruce closes his eyes tight, shaking his head in denial even as flashes of Stark's memorial service and his posthumous valor award for saving Manhattan from a nuke overwhelms his memory.

If the Avengers don't have Iron Man, will anyone else be able to stop it? How many more people will die because Bruce is desperate to save one man?

One man he'd only just met and knows so little about personally.

One man who had felt like a turning point in his life even if he'd curled in on himself, unwilling to admit he could still feel those things.

"Maybe you can't save him," Tony says after an indeterminate amount of time. His voice is heavy with premonition and Bruce wonders if it's only a coincidence or if the genius has pieced together that it's his own future that hangs in the balance. "Maybe you're not meant to save him."

Bruce's eyes fly open to find Tony searching his face, his own eyes intense and filled with something Bruce can't quite put his finger on because he's too busy trying to calm the heart beating dangerously in his chest.

_"Are you saying the Hu— the Other Guy saved my life? That's nice. That's a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?"_

"It's me."

"What?"

"You're right," Bruce says and turns to pace around the room. "I can't stop him from... what it is I'm trying to stop him from doing. It has to happen." He stops pacing and turns back around quickly to meet Tony's gaze. "But I can save him from what happens after that," he says in determination. "Or..." He falters. "Or at least I can try. I _have_ to try. I'm meant to save him."

Tony blinks, then smiles softly. He bridges the gap between them. Before Bruce can even react, the other man pulls him into an equally, _surprisingly_ , soft kiss – though no less intense or overwhelming. Bruce melts into it, kisses the other man back, before he can think better of it. He may never get this chance again, he may never get this chance if – _when_ – he saves Tony in the future. And he wants it. He knows that certainly now; it's no longer a nagging whisper of 'maybe' that he'd been trying to ignore.

But it's all wrong. Tony isn't his. He'll never be his and Bruce will never be Tony's. When he goes back to that day, Bruce won't even remember this.

Bruce pulls away when he realizes that he won't remember. How can he ensure he'll save Tony if he doesn't remember his epiphany? Another note to himself?

"Sorry." Tony misconstrues the reason for Bruce having broken the kiss, though he doesn't sound like he really means it. "I couldn't help myself," he explains. "Because I know this time, you're going to do it." Bruce blinks. Tony is filled with unwavering belief in him. "You're going to save him and... I hope you'll be happy." Bruce's mouth falls open slightly. Tony smiles and nods. "I hope he knows how lucky he is. You're... You're different. You're something special."

Bruce's eyes widen.

_"His last words were, 'Make sure somebody looks out for Dr. Banner. He's something special.'"_

"Tony?" He studies him uncertainly.

Tony just shakes his head. "As much as I wish you could stay here instead, what is it you need?"

"I—" Bruce fumbles. "I don't know. It just occurred to me that I need to find a way to stop my future self, uh or past self, from making a terrible mistake." He also needs to undo some of his boobytraps to make sure Tony isn't waylaid. "But I... make it every single time," he continues. "For reasons that are good at the time." He shrugs and turns away from Tony, running a hand through his unruly hair. "I don't know how I can expect myself to do anything different since when... when I go back I won't remember this. I never remember. Only bits and pieces." He shakes his head before hanging it in defeat. "I didn't even immediately remember the note I wrote myself when I made this trip."

"Then you need a trigger."

"What?" He turns back.

"A trigger. If you're capable of retaining some of the memories, then, theoretically you should be able to find a way to embed a trigger of some kind. Something to make you remember this trip."

Bruce blinks. Maybe that's what had happened with the note. Something had triggered his memory.

"It... has to be substantial," he contemplates, "but not something that would risk being conflated with something else that might trigger the memory ahead of time." He nods as a plan starts to form in his mind. "I think I know what I need to do."

Tony smiles, a little hesitant and unlike himself, and says, "Good luck. But if for any reason it doesn't work out between you and him, I hope you'll remember me and look me up. Kind of hard to forget a detail like Stark Tower," he offers with a chuckle. Bruce blinks as coordinates flash through his mind. He holds onto them for dear life. "But, I mean that."

"You," Bruce hesitates, "you realize that once I leave here you probably won't remember this either."

"Maybe," Tony replies with a hitch of his shoulder, "but I don't think it'll be very hard for me to fall for you again." Bruce's breath catches and Tony takes another step in. Instead of kissing him, Tony takes his hand in his for something warm and completely friendly: a handshake, not unlike the one he remembers from their first meeting. "How could I not?"

*

"The cell was just—" Fury holds up a hand trying to deflect, but Bruce doesn't let him.

"In case you needed to kill me," he snaps. "But you can't. I know. I _tried_." The confession hangs in the air. He looks over and sees a stricken expression on Tony's face. It makes something lurch in his stomach and he looks away, curling in on himself. "I got low," he tries to explain, tries to detach himself from his own history. "I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the Other Guy spit it out." He wavers a moment. "So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good until _you_ dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk," he lashes out, jerking his head to glare at the woman partially responsible. "You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?"

"Dr. Banner, put down the scepter."

Bruce looks down in confusion to see that at some point he'd picked up Loki's scepter without even realizing it. He'd been so far gone that...

Maybe Romanoff was right after all. Maybe their prisoner had been manipulating him.

He blinks up at Tony and sees him giving him a look that says he hates to agree, especially after prodding him to 'suit up' as he put it, but it might be a good idea to listen to that order.

Suddenly the alarm for the tracer goes off and Bruce deflates, coming back to himself completely. He puts the scepter back down where it had been.

"Sorry, kids," he jokes in a bitter tone. "You don't get to see my party trick after all." He doesn't look at Tony or anyone else as he crosses the room.

Behind him there's more clamor about the Tesseract now that it's been located, Tony and Steve especially arguing again, but Bruce tunes it out to focus on finding out where the item of interest is at.

Latitude 45°66′12″N. Longitude 76°87′32″W.

Bruce pulls off his glasses and looks at Tony. "Oh my god," he mutters, right before it all goes to hell.

*

"So, which one is it?"

Bruce pauses in his attempt to button up the shirt the security guard had been gracious enough to give him and looks at him, not understanding the question. "I'm sorry?"

"Are you a big guy that gets all little or a little guy that sometimes blows up large?"

Bruce is momentarily stunned by the question. This security guard has been nonchalant about the entire issue, which is strange enough since before this only two other people had ever been so at ease with the idea of the Hulk.

"You know," he shakes his head, "I'm not even sure."

The guard seems satisfied by that answer. He gives him a look and then asks, "You got somewhere to go?"

This question stuns him more than the last.

Latitude 45°66′12″N. Longitude 76°87′32″W.

"Stark Tower," he says on instinct. He knows those coordinates belong to Stark Tower. He's not even sure how he knows, but that's where Loki will be making his stand. "I..." He feels a disconcerting need to go. He has to go to Stark Tower. "No." He shakes his head adamantly against that feeling. 

He can't be anywhere near here, or The Avengers.

They don't need him.

He can't—

The guard tilts his head, as if that was the wrong answer or he doesn't believe him.

Bruce furrows his brow, coordinates flashing through his mind again and Tony...

"Yes."

"I'd expect some confusion of the mind," the guard says, seemingly satisfied with his new decision, "since your body's kind of all over the place." He gestures for him to follow. "But," he hedges, "it has to be one or the other."

Bruce has the strangest feeling that if he doesn't go to Stark Tower, he'll regret it for the rest of his life.

*

Bruce blinks open his eyes and is greeted by an unfamiliar, though strangely familiar, ceiling. He suddenly remembers the battle and darts upward. He's covered by a blanket and it only takes a glance at the man sitting across from him to know how it got there.

"I knew you would save me," Tony says with a warm smile. Bruce's mind is assaulted by a memory of Tony falling from the sky. "You're something special."

_"He was waiting for you."_

_"His last words were, 'Make sure somebody looks out for Doctor Banner. He's something special.'"_

" _Maybe, but I don't think it'll be very hard for me to fall for you again."_

"Tony!" Bruce's eyes widen. "You... I remember. I don't know how I remember, but... you died. Or were going to..." He furrows his brow. "I... Wait," something dawns on him, "you knew? The whole time, you knew what was coming? You should have told me!"

"I couldn't risk it. I was only marginally certain that I was the man you were trying to save, but like I said. I knew you would."

Bruce wishes he could have that kind of faith in himself. He'd wanted to run again. He ignores that point and asks, "But how?"

"It was a long shot," Tony says with a smile, moving to sit beside him, "and maybe risky, but I may have created my own trigger memory before you left. I only remembered after we met."

"The handshake?" Bruce guesses.

Tony hitches a shoulder. "I had to try."

Bruce can hardly believe what Tony is saying.

"Why?" Bruce ventures in a shaky whisper, after a long moment. He studies Tony and realizes just how close he is.

Tony leaves no mystery to what he intends to do as he leans in even closer. "Because I know how lucky I am."

Bruce's eyes widen, the memory somehow clear in his mind, before he decides to bridge the gap between them before Tony can. Tony seems pleasantly surprised as they melt into each other again.

This time it's right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Somewhere along the way I think this stopped making a lick of sense.~~
> 
> Rec: [Four First Kisses](http://archiveofourown.org/works/329952) by [Mithen](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Mithen/pseuds/Mithen) aka the superior Batman/Superman fic that first inspired me to want to do a time travel fic for this pairing a long time ago. This prompt made me think of the song _A Thousand Miles_ by Vanessa Carlton which in turn reminded me of that fic and my desire to do something in that vein. Or at least attempt to do something in that vein.


	45. Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small warning for dubcon physical touch - it's meant to be caring, but it's also without one character's knowledge* and for partially selfish reasons.

Tony landed gently in the clearing where Hulk was meandering about calmly enough. He stepped out of the suit without fuss and casually approached the green behemoth.

"Hey, Big Green," he greeted and Hulk turned to look at him, "having fun? Blowing off some extra post-battle steam? Can't say I blame you. It wasn't a very satisfying fight, was it?"

Hulk grunted in an affirmative manner and then glanced around. "Lullaby?" he asked.

"Yeah," Tony confirmed before quickly adding, "but only when you're ready." Hulk looked at him with a smile. Tony knew the others never gave him that option. "You know me, Big Guy. I like hanging out with you too. Wanna smash some rocks or just chill?"

They did a little of both, Tony enjoying the simplistic company that Hulk provided in contrast to his squishier half, until Hulk abruptly stopped and looked around again.

"Ready?" Tony guessed. Hulk grunted again and turned toward him. Tony smiled and moved closer. "Sun's getting real low," he said, pitching his voice to be as low and soothing as possible.

He held up his hand and Hulk met it with his. Tony paused for a moment before beginning the hypnotic hand motions that triggered a transformation back to Bruce, Hulk mirroring them until he wobbled tiredly away and down to the ground in a boneless heap, shrinking and changing before Tony's eyes.

The others usually woke Bruce immediately from his unconscious state, taking him back to the jet, bleary-eyed and practically dead to the world, so he could reorient himself there. Tony hated that look on Bruce and knew Bruce hated the disorienting feeling of being woken up before he was ready too even if he would never think of mentioning it to the others. So, as usual when it was him on lullaby duty, he let Bruce curl in on himself and sleep.

And because he was a man of little self-control, he did something he knew none of the others would dream of doing - at least, he selfishly hoped not - and moved to lay behind the other man. It was his own added ritual that he'd begun one time when prior to the battle he and Bruce had gotten into a fight over the physicist getting itchy feet again, afraid that he was going to hurt somebody because that's just what monsters do. Tony knew he shouldn't have kept it up after that one time, but again he was a man of little self-control and if this was as close as he could ever get to the other man, the only chance he had to comfort him the way he wanted to comfort him, then Tony was selfish enough to take it and risk the consequences at some later date if anyone, Bruce especially, ever found out.

Tony gently sidled in closer until his chest pressed against Bruce's back and wrapped a hand around his middle, pressing soft circles into the physicist's naked abdomen with the pad of his thumb. He then began to whisper what he always whispered, as close to Bruce's ear as he could manage, "You're not dangerous. You're good. You're kind. You're amazing. You're needed. You're a hero. You save people. You're beautiful--"

Tony's eyes widened when the word left his mouth before he could stop it. That was most definitely not part of the usual mantra. It was true, and what he wanted to say, but that didn't mean he meant to say it.

He gave it half a second's thought before barreling on. If Bruce was unconscious, he might as well get it off his chest while he had a chance. "I mean that. You're handsome and attractive and certainly sexy though you would never believe it. But you're also the most beautiful person I've ever known. Your mind is beautiful. Your smile is beautiful. Your eyes are beautiful. The way you care about everybody is beautiful, even if the way you don't care about yourself isn't particularly beautiful. God, Bruce, you're just the most fucking beautiful thing on this planet and it's almost ridiculous that you can turn into what you turn into. But, hey, all that raw power is pretty stunning too. I wish you could see that. I wish you'd stop thinking you need to leave. I don't want you to leave, Bruce. I..." He swallowed hard. "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you."

Tony let out a shaky breath and pulled away from Bruce to lay flat on his back beside him, as he always did after he was finished with his mantra so as not to take advantage of his friend's unconscious state longer than was already inappropriate.

He closed his eyes, musing over the bittersweet truth he'd just confessed on a whim to a sleeping man, because he'd finally found the one person he cared about so much that it scared him to admit it otherwise.

He was in love with Bruce and nothing had ever prepared him for it so nothing would be able to prepare him for it if Bruce really were to leave.

"Tony," Bruce said his name in a hoarse whisper after a quiet moment. Tony opened his eyes and turned his head in surprise at his already waking. Bruce's eyes were a little bleary, but there was an equally surprising amount of clarity there already as they studied him. "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dubious because at some point Bruce became aware of Tony's little ritual prior to this time, and allowed it to happen.


	46. Moon

"No, no, no, no!" Bruce shouted.

The world around him seemed to speed up with the frenzy of other scientists, strategists, and experts in just about every field you could imagine – all critical to the ongoing mission – typing and sending distress calls and calculating the situation; and yet, it also seemed to come to a dead stop so that all he could actually hear was the quickening pulse of his heart in his ears.

"You know the damn plan, Stark! Stick to the plan!" he urged. 

"And it's a brilliant plan," Tony replied from nearly 240,000 miles away, his statement all too breezy for the situation even if Bruce could hear the slight edge to his voice as familiar with his many tones he was by now. "You know I agree with you, but there isn't time. We knew our trajectory was a rough estimate. But I think we might have overestimated. I have to do something now or else—"

Bruce cut off Tony's reasoning with a pounding of his fist on the nearest console; he vocalized his mounting frustration and dread with an almost literal growl. He was fairly certain he'd frightened a technician in the process, and most days that would bother him or make him apologize immediately, but at the moment the only thing he cared about was making sure everyone survived including the man currently trying to play hero without a logical plan of attack.

He followed up the outburst by making wild gestures to as many of his colleagues as he could.

"Look, it's not like I’m thrilled about it!" Tony shouted in response, probably having heard his outburst - and maybe having seen it, although Bruce wasn't sure if he was a clear point on Tony's screen.

"Stark, just," Bruce forced the words through his gritted teeth and pinched the bridge of his nose, "hold still for a little longer." He opened his eyes and pointed as he said, "Dr. Foster, I want everything you have in two seconds and I swear to God if Dr. Selvig isn't here in the next ten minutes I'm going to see to it Director Fury fires the incompetent asshole responsible for not getting him here when I asked for him three hours ago!" He sighed and then forced himself to turn around again and look up at the screen where Tony's face stared back at him larger than life and wide-eyed, as if startled by something. "Stark, just hold still. We'll figure this out. We're not out of options yet."

They couldn't be. Bruce wouldn't _let_ them be.

Tony fixed him with a thoughtful grimace and shrugged his head in an apologetic sort of manner.

"We might be, Dr. Banner."

*

_"If it isn't my favorite physicist," Tony said with a beaming smile that practically rivaled the moon, or in this case made it shine brighter. "That time of day already? Kinda lose track of it up here. Good thing I'm always ready and waiting for your call. Even though you know you can just read my logs. They're all accurate. I_ am _a genius."_

_By now Bruce was accustomed to Tony's immediate gabble and allowed himself to indulge in a chuckle. He shouldn't. He should keep it professional, but it was impossible with a man like Tony Stark. He'd tried to resist at the start, or maybe because he was a guarded person it was more accurate to say that he'd had walls up at the start, but after their daily exchange for the last eight months it was impossible to resist any of the terrifyingly pleasant emotions he experienced whenever it was just the two of them going over the logs at the end of the day, well Bruce's day anyhow, per protocol._

_Bruce shook his head to clear his thoughts and pulled up another holographic monitor beside the one transmitting the video call. On it, he pulled up said logs. He was inclined to agree with Tony that the other man didn't really need his proofing, but his opinion was secondary to his crucial job as the lead gamma specialist. Superficial and unnecessary as it sometimes seemed it was better safe than sorry in this profession. And, if he were being truthful, he would miss their late night conversations if they were no longer required._

_“Getting tired of my company?” Bruce deflected his foolish sentiment with dry teasing._

_"Tired?" Tony scoffed. "Definitely not. Or do I need to rant some more about how tragically insufferable everyone here is?"_

_Bruce rolled his eyes. Rogers, Romanoff, and Barton, the engineer's main transport crew on this mission - to make major upgrades to the first established base on the moon - were some of the best astronauts to ever come out of the space program. They were far from as unintelligent as Tony implied; although Bruce understood how that could feel when you were on a different plane than everyone else which Tony definitely was. But there were other scientists and engineers residing at the base there, including the smartest astrophysicist in the world._

_Tony suddenly groaned and continued, "But I'm frustrated as hell, that's for sure." Bruce blinked, uncertain, and spared him a quick glance. "I mean, they couldn't give me one of those boring, stick-in-the-mud, pitiably ugly types as my gamma scientist—"_

_"You literally just described me," Bruce interjected, eyes widening as he darted them back to the other holographic screen to refocus on his job._

_"I didn't."_

_"You did."_

_"I really didn't."_

_"Tony, look at me." Bruce snorted in self-derision and threw him another glance, eyeing him with the skepticism his insistence deserved, before continuing onto the next entry in the log. He shrugged as he noticed a superficial typo and corrected it._

_"I am."_

_Bruce stopped typing. The warmth in Tony's voice caused certain vital organs in Bruce's body to melt, as if he didn't need them to survive. Realizing this ill-fate, his lungs decided to stop functioning properly as well and his breath, maybe his last, got caught somewhere in the back of his throat. He didn't dare look back at the other screen._

_"I've_ been _looking at you, Bruce. I didn't really plan on this," he mumbled with a resigned sigh, "but I guess I've never really been good at shutting up once I get started so here goes everything."_

_That caused Bruce to finally meet Tony's gaze. He swallowed hard at the intensity in the other man's eyes, even on a screen broadcasting a signal from the moon. The hairs on Bruce's arms stood to attention._

_"I don't lose track of time up here. Not anymore."_

_Bruce understood his meaning. Tony hadn't needed a gamma physicist for anything during the first phase of the mission, which had lasted a few months and hadn't involved anything more than preparation for the repairs._

_"Then," Tony continued, "this interesting, pleasant, brilliant,_ incredibly attractive _gamma physicist made contact when I was least expecting it. Literally," he added and Bruce would laugh at the memory if he wasn't too busy still trying to get his lungs back online. "And time started again. I can't stop counting the hours, Bruce. The hours until you call me again. The hours until I can talk to someone who speaks English again. Whether we're discussing quantum physics or debating Star Trek fan theories, you're just easy to talk to." He shrugged and his lips quirked up to one side. "The hours until I can see your face again."_

_"Tony," Bruce whispered in disbelief, "you... You're just..."_

_He bit back his hope and forced himself to focus on reality. Things never worked out for him. His life hadn't often, if ever, blessed him with the things he wanted. Why would it start now with the most perfect and perfectly unobtainable man in existence? Tony Stark wasn't just a genius with unmatched engineering prowess. He was a brand. He was a celebrity. He was a billionaire. He might as well be the moon as far as Bruce would have to reach for a man like him._

_"You're just lonely," he finally managed, as bitter as the words tasted. Tony furrowed his brow. "You said yourself, you don't feel like there's anyone else you can talk to up there. If there was, you wouldn't-"_

_"I would, Bruce," Tony stopped him before he could choke on any more of the words falling from his mouth. "But, you're right. I_ am _lonely. Earth, the moon, it doesn't matter. I'm lonely and it's been that way as long as I can remember. I just didn't know it." He paused and met Bruce's gaze. "Until you."_

_"I-" Bruce couldn't find his voice._

_"Now I count down the hours until that brief moment of my day when I'm not lonely anymore." Bruce swallowed hard. "And it's frustrating," he finally came full circle. He shook his head and let out a deep breath. "It's so damn frustrating not being able to hear what your laugh sounds like when in the same room. Not being able to ask you to dinner. And not being able to reach out and run my fingers through that tempting hair of yours." Bruce blinked in surprise at that. "And just," he groaned again, "not being able to shake your hand properly, as ridiculous as that sounds. We've never even formally met, Dr. Banner, and I already never want to say goodbye."_

_Tony seemed to run out of steam at last, looking a little like a deflated balloon. Unable to speak, Bruce studied the screen. Tony darted his eyes away. He looked genuinely unsure all of a sudden, which was strange for him._

_It took Bruce a moment before he realized that Tony was unsure of how Bruce might respond now that he'd put himself on the line. That feeling must be something foreign and terribly, uncomfortably vulnerable for a man who could snap his fingers and have anything or anyone he ever wanted. That Tony was afraid he might not have that same fortune with him was strangely reassuring, even while the realization that it meant Tony wanted him enough to take that risk - and must want him in a way that was different than those other things or people he could have - threatened to send Bruce running for fear of the universe taking this from him too at some later date. He wanted Tony just as much, if not more, as he professed to want him, but it had been less terrifying when it was simply unrequited longing._

_Still, he'd lost this fight months ago and there wasn't exactly anywhere he could run even if he wanted to._

_"You can, you know," Bruce finally responded, slowly, maybe a little less casually than he wanted to. Tony's eyes snapped back to meet his. "Ask me to dinner," he clarified, smiling sheepishly before he could stop the reflex._

_He kept his eyes locked on Tony's and so he saw the way his broad smile didn't just spread slowly across his face, but also lit up his eyes. How could this man ever think_ Bruce _was attractive?_

_"Bruce, I was wondering," Tony said, still smiling and Bruce hung on every word, "when I get back, would you let me take you out to dinner? I'd really like the chance to get to know you better in person."_

_Bruce's own smile widened. "I'd really like that too. It's a date."_

_"I'll be counting down the hours," Tony said meaningfully and, damn it, Bruce's organs began malfunctioning again. "Incidentally, I'd also really like to, at some point, run my fingers through that gorgeous head of hair you have, Doctor."_

_Bruce chuckled softly and ducked his head, shaking it a little as he did. "Well, then, I guess you'll have something to work towards, won't you?"_

*

"Status update, Romanoff," Fury barked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the control room as Tony Stark carried out his dangerous mission.

"He's .78 kilometers away now," she replied.

"He's not going to make it in time," Foster mumbled frantically.

Bruce's breath hitched. "He has to make it." She looked at him with an empathetic expression, a reminder that she had someone on that base counting on this to work too. Bruce pursed his lips and looked back at the screen. "Come on, Stark. Come on."

"If we don't seal the last door in the next seventy-eight seconds, the containment field isn't going to hold," Selvig said.

Fury looked at him and then Bruce. "He's right," Bruce forced himself to say. "If its not closed in that precise window of time, this will be for nothing."

Fury nodded. "Captain Rogers, you make the call."

After a few beats of silence, Rogers ordered, "Close it."

Bruce closed his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. He shook his head. "I can't be here," he told Jane and turned to hurry from the control room.

"Son of a gun," Rogers' surprised voice came over the link just as Bruce reached the door.

Bruce stopped. His eyes widened and he spun around. There on the screen was Tony's one of a kind space suit, just inside the base, unmoving on the floor as several medics rushed to his aid.

"Containment field is holding," someone announced, but Bruce wasn't sure who. His eyes were fixed on the lifeless suit.

"Stark's communicator is still down," Rogers said.

"There's a manual release on the left hip," Bruce said, hurrying back over to one of the stations and pushing a scientist away.

"Dr. Banner?" Fury quizzed.

"Stark shared with me the specs," he explained. "And how to access his artificial intelligence program in case of an emergency." He moved through the coding as quickly as he could without any mistakes. He hit enter. "JARVIS, you with me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Tell me what you know."

"Mr. Stark lost consciousness .42 kilometers away due to the speed and force at which he was going. The suit has not been tested for those numbers and was unable to stabilize him."

"Let's move Stark to a stabilization chamber," came a command on the screen from one of the medics.

"The suit lost power upon entering the base so he may have suffered some minor internal injuries from the crash landing."

"The containment field is still holding," Romanoff said.

"In 72 hours the threat should be neutralized," Selvig said. "We'll need to keep a steady monitor on its status."

"Good job, everyone," Rogers encouraged.

"Dr. Banner," Fury broke through Bruce's disquieted thoughts some moments later. He blinked at him. "Go get some rest. We'll need you fresh-eyed for when we reach 72 hours." Bruce stared at him for a long minute and then glanced at the screen. "I'll have someone alert you the moment there's any change to Stark's condition."

Bruce ducked his head then sighed and looked back at Fury. "Thank you, sir."

*

Crowds cheered and triumphant music played as the first Avenger I crew member, Captain Steve Rogers, stepped from the jet with a friendly smile and wave. He made his way over to the press that were standing in wait. He was followed by Barton and then Romanoff. Finally, the man of the hour stepped from the jet with a patented smile and peace sign, the crowds cheering loudly. 

Bruce held his breath as he watched Tony scan the gathered throng, in search for someone. His heart beat wildly knowing that someone was him. Their eyes locked and for a moment time stood still and Bruce's internal organs rebelled again.

Time only started again when Tony started toward him. He ignored the press that tried to move in on him and made his way over until he was standing just in front of Bruce. Finally, face to face and safe on good, solid, Earth again.

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Banner," Tony said and held out his hand.

Bruce took it and said, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Stark."

He felt his smile become watery and, before he knew what was happening or who had pulled whom, Bruce found himself in a strong embrace with the engineer. Relief washed through him as they held each other.

He didn't even protest when Tony's hand ran soothingly through his hair. He didn't need a first date to know he never wanted Tony to let go.


End file.
